The Surge
by awayinarendelle
Summary: Elsa is the only daughter of the prominent doctor, Walt Arendelle. She is groomed to be the next face of Arendelle Pharmaceuticals. Living a life of obedience and rules, Elsa strives for nothing but to please her father—but it's just never enough. She meets Anna; exciting and different from her…someone who will teach her how to truly live as their worlds start to collide.
1. The Heir

_Turned twenty one on a day that we met_  
_Terrible shoes, implausible dress_  
_It's funny how sad the funny things get as you grow older_

**Now Playing: Brooke Fraser ft. Aqua Lung / Who Are We Fooling?**

* * *

Her face immediately lit up upon entering the familiar, quaint, and tiny coffeehouse. Maurice's Coffee Shoppe had always been Elsa's safe haven; the smell of sweet aroma filled her nostrils causing the corner of her lips to rise, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth.

_Mmmmmhhh…Chocolate mocha!_

Elsa was beaming, holding onto the feeling of satisfaction and slight glee before it vanishes as quickly as it came. Her gaze fell on the floor.

_Highlight of my day._

During class breaks and days off, she would find herself situated in the familiar obsolete armchair that was snugly rested by the fireplace with her nose buried in a book. Elsa would usually bring two or three books and place them carefully on the table before her, next to her latte, eager to open them and devour each page…eager to escape her ever busy world.

It didn't have to be a novel, it didn't have to be her usual Biology and Anatomy books. She read comic books, poetry, and even history books about Norway, where her ancestors were from. Elsa was like a sponge; absorbing knowledge whenever it trickles down her direction. Not only was she attractive, she was also extremely smart and on top of her senior class in North Mountain University. Reading so many books from such a young age really did pay off. As far as she can remember, that was all she really did growing up.

_Read. And sometimes, talk to snowmen._

The young girl would spend hours getting lost in fictional lands and sagas that are animatedly and forever immortalized in the pages of her worn out books. Unaware of the hours passing and the people around her, Elsa immersed herself in worlds that none of the others can see.

She would befriend magical kings and queens from faraway lands, have sword fights with Joan of Arc, and create ice palaces with the Snow Queen, her favorite fictional character whom she had read about a dozen times; yet, never getting exhausted by its story and splendor. Though reserved and soft-spoken, the platinum blonde's mind was filled with daydreams and magical encounters with friends she wished she had.

In a life she wished she had.

Elsa's presence stood stark in contrast to the people around her in the coffee shop. Surrounded by a group of townspeople who dressed rather mundane and looking quite bland, she was dressed in a finely ironed designer white button down that fit her slender body rather snugly. Long and toned legs were encompassed by a pair of sleek black skinny jeans; her feet were resting on black Manolo pumps, and she sported a white Hermes handbag that costs more than the entire wardrobe of everyone in that coffee shop.

She stood by the corner waiting to be seated, a hand over the other's shirt cuff, straightening a wrinkle that did not exist. She wanted to wear her running hoodie and sweats today, but opted against it after remembering her father's words.

Well, she never really wore sweatpants in public. But she had always wanted to try. She's seen people in college go to class wearing pajamas. _Why can't I?_

_You must always look professional and respectable. You can never look sloppy or else people won't take you seriously. You will be the new face of Arendelle Pharmaceuticals. Keep that in mind. Whatever you wear, it will be planned and supervised by your personal stylist. I expect nothing less of you, Elsa._

Thought not materialistic in nature, Elsa's father insisted that she always looked her utmost best. He made sure his daughter was properly dressed at all times and properly cared for physically. She had her own stylist (she does not understand the need for this because she can dress herself) and went for daily pedicures and manicures (as a woman, she found this as a necessity for hygienic reasons), attended dermatology appointments every other month (her dermatologist was her father's friend. Dr. Arendelle made sure she went whenever she was summoned), and can be seen at the gym three to four times a week (this is the only thing in her daily schedule that she can honestly say she likes). She was almost immaculate.

Almost.

Not that she needed any of that because Elsa was a natural beauty; she can dress up in rags (not that she would seeing as how her father might react…) and still sink a thousand ships with those piercing blue eyes. Her prominent cheekbones, full and light pink lips, and that long, platinum blonde hair that she always kept in a sophisticated bun or sometimes, on a lazy day, a single loose braid was everything deserving of worship. Though she possessed the looks that any girl would hope for and any man would feast upon, the platinum blonde was utterly, hopelessly shy and down to earth. She had a hard time receiving compliments and often thought of herself as someone plain and ordinary.

The coffee shop owner, Mr. Jean Maurice, was fond of Elsa's daily presence. Elsa was a pleasant customer who would usually order two to three cups of coffee and sometimes, sandwiches to compensate for the time she would spend in the shop. Unlike most other people who would linger idly and order nothing, Elsa made sure she was not just taking space and fulfilled her duties as a respectable customer.

Mr. Maurice was too nice, letting these people loiter, much to Elsa's annoyance. She did not like the idea of Mr. Maurice losing customers because of inconsiderate people taking up space that could be used by other people who would actually purchase food or coffee.

So she tipped well. Sometimes, a little bit way too much (she barely carried cash and used her Black Card for her purchases, and when she did have paper bills, they would be an assortment of fifty to one hundred dollar bills which she generously used for tipping and giving to homeless people she would randomly see on the streets when she's out doing a morning run or when she encounters one) and she would clean up after herself. She was quiet and interacted with no one.

She would exit the shop just as quietly as she had entered it. Though grateful for the young girl's generosity, Mr. Maurice, a kind, short and plump man with welcoming brown eyes, sensed Elsa's slight discomfort and awkwardness whenever he would try to chat with her. He asked about her day. About school. And one time, he asked about her mom, which caused Elsa to blush and stutter an incoherent reply about her "being away."

Looking back now, Maurice realized how odd it was to see the young girl by herself that day, on Mother's Day, at a coffee shop, by herself.

Elsa would smile timidly and ask him questions in return. Polite questions. But often times, she would compliment him.

_"How are you, Mr. Maurice?"_

_"That coffee was exquisite. Thank you, Mr. Maurice."_

Although obviously well mannered, the shop owner thought it best to leave the girl alone, sensing that her sole purpose for visiting his shop on a daily basis was because she needed time to be by herself. Often times, Mr. Maurice would catch Elsa staring into space with her hands cupping her mug. It was like looking at a still painting: the subject, a melancholy muse looking over the sea, waiting for something or someone to arrive.

_"Hello, Elsa. How are you today?"_

_"What can I get you?"_

_"Good night, Elsa. Thank you for coming. See you soon."_

Pleasantries. That was it. Though curious and itching to reach out to the young girl, Mr. Maurice left Elsa alone.

There were not a lot of people who knew about this place. And Elsa preferred it that way. Located outside of town, in the outskirts of what most people of her age think to be a ghost town filled with nothing but antique shops, small boutiques, and old book stores, the twenty-one-year-old escaped her noisy and turbulent world and resided here...for just a few hours at a time to rest and rid herself of classmates, school-related stress, and responsibilities. So many responsibilities. The rundown coffee shop gave Elsa a sense of comfort. She particularly liked it when the sun caressed the window panes, giving the place a warm ambience.

But today, the platinum blonde was far from rested. Today, she did not bring any books. Today, there were more people than usual chattering and making Elsa feel uneasy.

She hated noise. She hated the sound of laughter because it was something she cannot easily produce herself. Today, she was sitting at another table because a group of boisterous teenagers invaded her spot by the fireplace.

_When did these people decide to go here?_ Elsa asked herself bitterly, a finger lazily traced the outline of the rim of her coffee cup in circular motions. An elegant brow perked up, blue eyes scanning the environment.

She was seated adjacent to the main door entrance, her eyes scoping the room and seeing familiar faces from her university. She was so exhausted and a headache was starting to add to her defeat. Sometimes, the smell of chocolates can't make everything feel better. The platinum blonde spent the whole morning working on a thesis paper that was due in a month. Elsa was never the one to leave things the last minute.

The upcoming Magna Cum Laude was never late for any of her classes. Never submitted a project late. Never defied time and its unforgiving hunger to keep moving forward. In fact, she was an hour and a half early for today's event. It was a bad habit to break, her punctuality. She doesn't know if that is something she should be proud of or despise.

Her eyes rested on the back of a girl who was chatting with her group of friends a little bit too enthusiastically and loudly. They had just entered the shop and were waiting for the waiter to clear their table. She knew she's seen this girl somewhere….her crazy and unruly red locks looked too familiar.

Elsa frowned, dropping the question. She was too exhausted for this and to be quite honest, she could not bring herself to care.

As if reading her mind, the girl turned around and immediately recognized Elsa.

"Elsa!" The redhead beamed and walked towards her table.

"Oh…Me...Merida! Hi," the platinum blonde clumsily stood up from her seat to face the girl while accidentally hitting the table with her foot, causing the table to vibrate which almost made her coffee spill.

Elsa is usually poised. Calm. Collected. Well, when she's alone.

Or with her father.

Poised. Especially poised. Calm? Not really. Collected? Yes.

God knows how disappointed he would be if Elsa presented herself as anything less than perfect.

All those years of training from walking, to posture, voice intonation, use of semantics and pragmatics, the four languages she had to learn fluently for "business" and to "communicate well with patients"…Elsa was carved and groomed to be the next heir to his medical empire. She wasn't even a doctor yet. But that's what she will be, nothing more and nothing less.

The famous neurosurgeon, Dr. Walter Arendelle, made sure his only child and only daughter followed after his footsteps and become a renowned surgeon like him, his father, and his father's father.

After all, she will be the one managing their multi-million dollar hospital facilities in Europe and all across the United States. The Arendelles were well known for their wealth and contribution in health science. Their hired doctors and nurses saved the lives of many and have changed the course of medical history with their accomplishments in the field. And Elsa was next in line to handle her family's legacy. The young heir took on her birthright without a say and without complaint.

There is no room for mistakes. Although Elsa's father was not with her and in one of his many meetings, she could not help but look behind her shoulder. She can feel his cold and stern eyes drilling in the back of her skull, ready to scold her for being ungraceful in front of her peer.

Heaven knows she tried and kept trying, but human interaction was not in Elsa's resume of expertise.

_I see. No wonder she looks familiar. She sits two rows away from me in Psych class. We worked on a group project together last semester. How can I easily forget?_

She silently chastised herself. Has she been so shut in that she has forgotten that other people existed outside of her books?

"What are ye doing here? Are ye with someone?" The young redhead with her thick and heavy Scottish accent asked the platinum blonde while stirring her iced coffee with a straw.

_Well, this is a coffee shop and you can obviously see my coffee. So maybe I'm here for…coffee? No, I'm not with someone. Can't I go to a coffee shop by myself?_

Elsa bit her tongue lightly and dismissed the sarcastic remark formulated by her tired brain. Merida was a nice girl.

"I'm waiting for my boyfriend," she replied politely.

"But it might take a while because he's coming from work. He said he has a meeting with his boss…so…" she started to trail off, not really knowing what to say next.

She looks at the other chair at the end of her table.

_Uhm, should I offer her a seat or something? What if she wants to sit down and chat? I mean, she's with her friends…is she gonna go away soon?_

There was a pause. They were both awkwardly standing, facing each other.

Tick. Tock.

Elsa felt her hands moist with sweat and she slowly wiped them on the sides of her jeans, hoping Merida didn't notice.

"Well," Merida started, breaking the silence. "Yer welcome to join our table while ye wait for yer boyfriend. That is, if ye would want to," Elsa's eyes followed Merida's-to a table with two guys and a girl who was standing up and using hand gestures to support whatever story she was telling, causing the other two people to laugh heartily. She looked like she was doing some Karate moves.

"That's Mulan," Merida chuckled. "She goes to another school and she just came back from China after winning a Martial Arts competition for her university." Merida smiled proudly at her friend's direction.

"So what do ye think? Do you wanna come join us?"

Elsa started to chew on the inside of her left cheek while Merida waited for her answer. Seconds passed by. "No…no thanks," Elsa stammered, almost choking on her words.

_Why are you so antisocial? Your father did not spend thousands of dollars for those lessons just so you can flush it down the drain and look like a fool in front of people._

"I'll just wait there. Thank you for the offer, though. But I think you should have fun with your friends,"she managed to muster a coherent sentence, silently chastising herself for her lack of grace.

Merida nodded understandingly, a smile forming on her face. If she was disappointed, it did not show in her features. She wasn't really expecting Elsa to say 'yes.' But it was a worth a shot.

Although they had worked together before and had a few interactions because they were in the same classes, Elsa did not strike her as someone who liked to talk. The platinum blonde would only speak when spoken to or would politely ask generic questions about her day and how she was doing.

The red head did not push Elsa to talk more, noticing that she was already struggling with small chit chats. Instead, she let Elsa take control of the project and did her best to contribute. Their project earned the highest grade in class, which boosted Merida's grade average and she felt very lucky that Mr. Oaken decided that they should do their project in groups because she knew doing this on her own would lead to nothing but a grade that would be barely passing.

Being paired up with Elsa convinced Merida that the gods and whatever higher being that existed up there liked her and favored her. She knew of Elsa's reputation and she knew that being paired up with the class valedictorian would help her pass. The red-head was not very fond of studying and working in quietness. She was the school's archery team's captain and she had only taken Psychology class as an elective because some of her best friends who were pre-med majors were in it.

Elsa meticulously handled the inner workings and the logic of their presentation, while Merida did her best to assist her and provide her own feedback which Elsa gratefully appreciated and included on their final drafts. But in all honesty, Elsa was the one who did most of the work. Merida knew better and left the reserved girl to do what she wished.

Inevitably, Elsa had won the approval and respect of her professors (and gained herself many admirers from the same and opposite sex), but as usual, would politely shift away from the attention and did her work diligently and silently. The whole staff and most of the students knew who she was by name and her association with the great Walt Arendelle, but Elsa did her best to be an honorable student and earned her grades by working hard…not because she was the daughter of the famous neurosurgeon who donated a huge amount of money to the school so it can triple the size of its library so more books and computers can be added to it. Books and computers Dr. Arendelle had also provided.

She politely declined extra credits from professors and exclusive invites from other "elitist" students whom she found to be snobby and condescending of other students who did not specifically meet their standards. The quiet and reclusive young girl spent most of her college days alone, until her boyfriend, Hans came to the picture and acted as her main companion for the past few months.

"It's okay, lass. There's always next time," Merida smiled, and turned her head towards the table that was currently invaded by her friends and back at Elsa.

"I guess I'm gonna go. I'll see ye in school," with her smile not leaving her face, she waved at Elsa and made her way back to her friends who were still laughing with that girl named Mulan. Elsa managed a weak smile and a small wave, watching her classmate reunite with her group of friends.

_Oh, Arendelle. You're hopeless._

Sighing, Elsa retreated back to her chair and lifted her arm, a few breaths away from her chin, to check the time on her wristwatch.

7:15 PM.

As if suddenly remembering something very important, she grabbed her handbag from across the table and fumbled through its contents hastily. Relieved that she found what she was looking for, Elsa stopped her search and eyed the small container box held gingerly by her fingers.

The brown container had the word "Godiva" written boldly on it with a gold and elegant font accompanied by a plethora of little circle chocolates painted over it.

_I wish these were actually real chocolate._

Propping her elbows on the table, a hand covered her eyes as she leans her head against it while her other hand lazily toyed with the container, feeling its texture and listening to the annoying popping sound sound it made whenever her fingers moved. A few minutes had gone by before Elsa nonchalantly snapped open the cover of the container.

With steady hands, she gently and carefully spilled one "chocolate" on her palm and examined it closely, a small grimace forming across her face.

_Remember to take these during breakfast and during dinner. These will help. But be careful, because it's the highest dosage since the last few dosages did not work. This is the top and best product of its kind. I've seen my patients achieve great results. Don't discontinue you medication like you did last time, Elsa. I know you want to keep this a secret from your father, and I respect that since you are of age…but please…just follow the directions. I don't want anything bad to happen to you._

The words of her psychiatrist, Dr. Corona, echoed in her mind.

Thank God for physician-patient confidentiality.

Nodding to no one in particular, Elsa slightly parted her lips, sneaking in the "chocolate" with one swoop of her palm.

_Well, chocolates make me happy. Apparently, these would, too._

Her "chocolates" weren't brown and round like those painted on the container. They were much smaller and coated in a dull shape of blue. In fact, they were far from sweet and feasible.

_Zoloft. 40mg. Take twice a day._

Elsa recited mentally as she took a sip of her coffee to help swallow her not so sweet "chocolate."

Originally from an orange and threatening-looking prescription bottle, Elsa decided it was best to keep her pills on a different location where no one can see. She did not want the maids finding prescription bottles in her room. She did not want her father to find out. And besides, she hated the color orange. She hated taking these things just so she can function everyday.

She hated being so….weak.

Shutting out the noise and the laughter that was resonating through the room, she pulled out her phone from the pocket of her bag.

A text message from Hans flashed across the screen.

_Hi babe, I'm two blocks away from the place. See you soon!_

Elsa closed her eyes, a sharp sigh escaped her lips. She heard her heart thump ferociously against her chest as her body temperature rose. Her cheeks were suddenly warm, dusted by a bright shade of pink. She felt hot. Uncomfortable. Hot.

Her hands started to tremble slightly.

_Breathe in. Out. In. Out. Relax._

_You can do this, Elsa. You have to._


	2. Daddy Dearest

**A/N:** First, I want to say that I do NOT own Frozen and the characters of Elsa and Anna. Disney owns it. Obviously. And now that's out of the way, I welcome you to my take on an Elsanna fan fic. I know I haven't introduced Anna in the first chapter AND in this second chapter yet; but the next one will have more of her. I'm trying to show Elsa and her father's relationship since he's kinda…really…maybe important to Elsa's character. But no worries, the rest of the chapters will evolve more on Elsa and Anna. Thanks for sticking by.

* * *

_I tried to wear another face; just to make you proud, __just to make you put me in my place  
__But everything you wanted from me, is everything that I could never be_

**Now Playing: Vertical Horizon / I'm Still Here**

* * *

_**Eight months ago...**_

She couldn't help but notice the man that was sitting on the table a few feet away from her. Dressed in an expensive black suit and a cherry red tie, the man looked to be in his mid-thirties. His long brown hair was neatly tied in a ponytail, revealing a handsome face graced with dazzling brown eyes and a perfectly chiseled jaw. He laughed delightfully over the phone, clearly enjoying the conversation he was having with the person on the other line. The hand that was holding the phone against his ear displayed a finger boasting a shiny gold ring. He wasn't that far, Elsa could practically hear snippets of the conversation that he was having.

"_Honey, Little Gaston will be just like his father. Strong and mighty! Don't worry about our boy skipping naptime from time to time! He just wants to run around and play!"_

"_Three more days and I'll be home. I promise you I'll come with you to pick out more books. Sounds good, love?"_

"_I love you more. Kiss our little boy for me, will you?"_

She didn't mean to eavesdrop. She just couldn't find any more distractions to keep herself from feeling the boulder that was sitting contentedly inside her chest, weighing her down and making her feel uneasy. It's just that the restaurant wasn't exactly big and spacious. The tuxedo-laden waiters were relaxed and moved in a slower but timely pace, there were only about a dozen people to be served. Some of the waiters chatted amongst each other by the corner while glancing at the customers now and then, just in case someone called out to them for service.

"Anton Ego's", a fancy and exclusive restaurant, was perched on the very top floor of Stark Towers. Decorated in an array of fancy chandeliers, gold painted walls displaying ornate and expensive paintings, and a huge fountain at the center, very few had access to this place since it only hosted the rich and the powerful.

Mr. Ego, the restaurant's owner, became very good friends with Walt Arendelle after performing a risky but successful surgery on his wife. So many doctors thought Mrs. Ego's case was hopeless and refused to get involved in fear of failing, but Walt was able to save her and give her a second chance at life. Ever since then, the doctor had special privileges and did not need reservations whenever he wanted to visit. While others waited months to experience Ego's world famous ratatouille, Dr. Arendelle can just walk in, be seated immediately, and order whatever he pleased. The doctor visited often, mostly with fellow doctors to discuss new surgical techniques, new medication, and what can be done to improve patient care. He enjoyed the quietness and the fact that only a few can be seated and served here.

Elsa's hands were folded neatly across her lap, and the feeling of sweat forming on the back of her neck made her feel quite uncomfortable because the room was not that hot to begin with. Across from her was her father, quietly looking over a piece of paper with the words 'Arendelle Pharmaceuticals' written boldly on top of it. Clearly oblivious to his surrounding, Walt Arendelle studied the contents of the paper, his brows slightly furrowed and his lips drawn in a firm, thin line. Elsa trained her eyes on her father's face, hoping he wouldn't look up just in time for him to catch her staring. Much like his daughter, the doctor was not fond of crowds unless it was absolutely necessary; but years and years of exposure to people was something the doctor was used to it and it no longer irked him. After all, it was all part of his profession. He did not mind anymore, he just did not prefer it.

Walt Arendelle was undeniably handsome and gifted with the looks of a Nordic god. Carved with a tall and symmetrical nose, a finely trimmed pencil mustache, deep set green eyes, and lips painted in a pale strawberry red, Arendelle's face demanded attention and respect from those who gazed upon it. He was regal, captivating, and tall in stature. He was the kind of man anyone would follow and serve because of his graceful authoritativeness and almost omnipotence. People looked to him and hung onto his every word and direction. Doctors, colleagues, patients; anyone who interacted with him cannot deny his riveting presence. He seems to always know what to do, what to say. He never flinched. Never stuttered. Never hesitated when speaking. He always looked you directly in the eyes when he's speaking to you as if he was reading your mind and seeing your deepest and darkest secrets. He was a looming enigma; a silent but unstoppable force.

Elsa knew all of that. He was her father, after all. But the young girl barely saw her father while growing up. She felt like she should know so much more than what was before her. But that was all she was allowed. That was all that was given to her.

Elsa noticed the grey on his hair had increased and there were dark circles under his eyes.

_He looks tired. I mean, he's been in Norway for four weeks. I wonder how his surgeries went?_

"You're staring." Walt said casually, his eyes not leaving the paper. "Give me one more minute and I'll be done with this." He picked up the pen that was resting on his left and started to scribble on the paper.

"I'm sorry," a light shade of pink spread over the young girl's face and she immediately diverted her gaze to the cup of coffee that was set before her. "Take your time." Elsa busied herself by watching the stream of water rushing from the fountain seated in the center of the restaurant.

A few minutes had elapsed before Walt pulled up his briefcase from the floor to put his paperwork away. Elsa took a sip from her coffee and watched as her father leaned forward from his chair, giving her his full attention.

"You must be wondering why I asked you to come here today." Elsa gave her father a small and polite nod, suddenly growing self-conscious because of how Walt was looking at her directly, not breaking his gaze. He had his secretary call her earlier today, asking her to join him for coffee. She had just ended her last class and planned on heading to the library until she received the call. Part of her was excited because she hasn't seen her father in over a month and a part of her was nervous because…well, she hasn't seen her father in over a month.

"Yes, Papa. How was Norway?" Elsa was eager to hear about her father's trip…actually, she was just eager to hear him speak and hear his voice.

"It was...business as usual." Walt's voice was brooding, and Elsa saw how he slightly fidgeted.

_Okay, I guess he doesn't want to talk about Norway. _

Walt puffed his chest and exhaled the built up air in a slow and controlled manner. "How are your studies?" He started, his head tilted slightly to the side, surveying his daughter. A small grin escaped from his lips as he silently commended Elsa's outfit. Elsa was wearing her usual bun and her face was painted with light make-up, a simple eye-liner and mascara that made her icy blue eyes stand out even more. She wore a black blazer over a blue shirt that complimented her eyes and a pencil skirt to match her top. The young girl looked gorgeous, and Walt was pleased to see that his hired stylist transformed his daughter into a fine and elegantly dressed young woman.

_She looks so much like Idunn. _The face of his wife flashed before him. He immediately shook the thoughts away, his fingers suddenly drumming on the table.

"School's okay. The semester just started and we're given so much work," Elsa hesitated, not wanting to sound like she was complaining, she added, "but it's not hard at all. I've read some of the books from the syllabus during the summer so I'm very familiar with the material." She offered Walt a small smile and said, "I am doing well in school."

"Good. That's all I wanted to hear." He said matter-of-factly while nodding his head. He felt a sudden movement on his left side, where his phone was snugly hidden in one of his pockets. He looked away from Elsa to retrieve the small machine.

"Oh. Okay. Thank you for asking."

Elsa's smile faded, her eyes fell on her hands that were folded on her lap. He didn't even ask about _her_. He asked about school and not how she was doing. They haven't seen each other in over a month and all he can muster to say was _"Good, that's all I wanted to hear"_ as if that was the end of the conversation.

Oblivious to Elsa's crestfallen face, he stared at the screen to see who the caller was. Clearly not wanting to pick up the call, he pressed the "end" button, and placed the phone back in his pocket. His focus went back to Elsa who was waiting for him to speak. Her eyes were still darkened by hurt and slight disappointment, but she knew how to hide that by keeping a straight face.

"_Stop overreacting,"_ she rebuked herself quietly.

"So have you spoken with Hans Westerguard?"

_What?_ That's…unexpected. "H-hans? I know him from one of my classes but we're not exactly friends. Why do you ask?" Her eyebrows furrowed in curiosity, wondering why her father would ask such a random question.

"His father is a good friend of mine. A business partner." Walt folded his hands over the table top. "I've talked to Hans a couple of times whenever he would visit the hospital to see his father. And it's quite a _delight_ to find out that he also goes to your school." Walt replied casually as he covered his mouth with one hand to stifle a yawn.

"Anyway, Christian said his son is interested in you. We have talked about it. I want you to consider Hans. It will be good for our company. It will be good for you."

"_Consider" Hans? Where is this conversation going? The company? _

"Papa, I'm confused. What is this all about?" Elsa asked in an almost whisper. Her eyes not leaving Walt's face, she suddenly felt her body tense. She did not like where this is going and even if she asked for an answer, she also did not want to hear what he had to say.

"He's a proper fit for you." Walt raised an eyebrow, undeterred by Elsa's confusion.

_Is this why he keeps waiting for me after class recently and keeps asking me to have lunch with him no matter how many times I tell him I'm busy?_

Thud. Thud. Thud. Her heart was racing, her breathing, unsteady.

_Calm down. _

"It's only fitting. You are of age and so is he. I know his family and you will be in good hands."

Her knuckles were turning white; her fingers were getting strained from the pressure of grabbing the sides of her skirt and freezing them in place. But her face was stoic, her demeanor unwavering. She inhaled. Exhaled. Suddenly, a thought of the Snow Queen was inserted in her brain. Cool. Calm. Collected. Cold.

"Elsa, are you listening to me?" Her father broke through her panicked stupor.

"Y-yes." Elsa nodded briskly. She was sure her knuckles were about to be ripped apart.

"I want you to _date_ Hans. I want you to say yes when he asks."

Elsa grew quiet. She just…didn't know what to say. The tips of her ears felt hot and her palms were sweating. _Date Hans._ He makes it sound so easy as if innocently asking her to pour sugar on his cup of coffee.

Growing annoyed by his daughter's lack of words, Walt narrowed his eyes and in a firm voice said, "Elsa, I know this is too much to ask right now. But it will please me greatly if you at least consider this. Hans will be good for you and it's about time that you've started seeing other people. I know that your break-up with Jack was-"

_Jack._ Her father kept talking, but she was not in the same room with him anymore. She had shut him out and her mind was trailing off, going to a forbidden place that she had once buried and promised herself never to visit again.

_Why are you bringing this up? _

_Jack Frost. They were seventeen when they met each other in high school. He had the most sunny and easy smile. He made her laugh. He held her hand when they walked together. He said he loved her. She believed him. Then, he left her without a word after graduation. That was that._

"Papa, I don't even know him, " Elsa croaked. She did not like how her voice sounded, but there was no other way to take it all back now. Her eyes fell on the floor to her side, noticing a piece of napkin some waiter probably dropped from his tray while walking back to the kitchen.

_I don't want to be with anyone right now._

_You asked me to come meet you to talk about HANS? You've been gone for weeks and you don't even wonder how I'm doing. Why are you-_

"Your mother-" Walt's calm and distant voice once again interrupted Elsa's stupor. Upon hearing these words, the last word in particular, caused Elsa to whip her head back to Walt's direction; blue eyes widening, and her full attention solely given to the man with the cold green eyes. He suddenly had her wrapped around his finger.

_Your mother. _

"….would have approved of this. She would want you to be with Hans."

It only took one glance at Elsa to convince Walt that he had achieved the desired effect of his words. He gingerly lifted his lukewarm beverage with his pen-stained hand, his nose hovering over it, taking in the scent and the warmth of the coffee it contained. "Elsa, I know you will choose what's right for you. It's only for the best."

Elsa was trapped. There was no choosing. There was only obeying. She brushed a hand against her sideswept bangs, wiping away the sweat that was forming on her forehead. Defeated and tired blue eyes met the face of the man who was sitting right before her. The man she wished she can understand.

"I'll consider it." Elsa held back a sigh, she wanted to wrap her arms around herself, a defense mechanism and a habit she had when faced with uncertainty and vulnerability. But she resisted, because she knew her father would reprimand her for her bad posture. He did not like it when she slouched or showed any sign of_….imperfection_.

_He said my mother would approve if I did this…_

…_Who am I to deny her that?_

And upon hearing her answer, Walt flashed a genuine and toothy smile. It's as if watching an ice crack. Elsa barely saw him smile like that, and it killed her inside because he wasn't smiling _at_ her, but because he asked her to do something and she gave him the satisfaction that she was going to grant his wishes.

_Who am I kidding? It's always been like this. _

_And… my birthday passed. A call… a text…it would've been nice. _

"Good. Be the good girl you always have to be, Elsa."


	3. Pancakes and Coffee Shops

**A/N: **Thanks to my personal Kristoff, my better half for reading this over. Anna's finally in here! To the people who are actually reading this, THANK YOU. I really have fun writing it and I'm still very much in love with Elsa and Anna. asdfghjkk. shipping intensifies*

* * *

_No need to come to me when I can make it all the way to you  
__You made it clear, you weren't near  
__Near enough for me_

**Now Playing: The XX / Heart Skipped A Beat**

* * *

"I GOT IN, I GOT IN, I GOT IIIIIIIIN!" The redhead could not contain her excitement as she jumped up and down the kitchen, her hands flailing in the air and her braids bouncing along with her as she continued to do her victory hop. Her voice echoed through the apartment and she did not care if the neighbors heard her. All that mattered was the fact that she was accepted to her dream college. She had just received a call from the university that morning, which was perfect timing because her best friend was with her to share the good news with. The sun was out, the birds were chirping just outside her window, and it had stopped raining. It was a perfect day. Anna had been waiting for weeks for her acceptance letter to arrive. At first, she was nervous because she thought it had been lost in the mail since she had just recently moved and was not entirely sure with how mailing and delivery worked in Revenland. Relief washed over her as the envelope bearing great news arrived in the form of a phone call.

"I can't believe it! They actually accepted me!" Anna proclaimed incredulously, surprise and shock still evident in her voice. "Like, this is ridiculous. Can you believe it? It's so last minute, I can't believe they didn't put me on the wait list!"

Pause.

Frowning over the lack of answer and enthusiasm, she walked towards her best friend who was busy baking pancakes. Boxes and clothes were littered all over her small apartment. She had only been in town for two weeks and did not really have a chance to settle down in her new home just yet. She looked over her clutter and thought about really unpacking. She can't go around wearing the same pair of jeans she has been wearing for the past two days. The redhead was sporting a green hoodie with a black tanktop underneath. Her jeans had a few mud stains from tripping and falling so much from the other day from playing soccer with Kristoff. It was out of impulse, she found her soccer ball from one of her boxes and dragged her best friend to play with her at the nearby playground located in her neighborhood.

A finger tapped the back of the tall figure standing over the stove. "You're ignoring me. I'm like, super stoked about getting into this awesome college and you're just there."

Kristoff simply grinned and flipped a pancake expertly with his spatula. He didn't turn around to face Anna even though he heard her sigh dramatically behind him. Anna folded her arms indignantly, deeply frowning at Kristoff's figure.

"Fine," she snapped. "Ignore me. You and your stupid pancakes." She walked away, exaggerating her steps like a five year old walking away from her dumb boy best friend because he refused to play with dolls with her.

Unamused, Kristoff shook his head with that same grin still plastered on his face. He's so used to Anna's tactics and little tantrums. He gently twisted the oven knob to turn it off and turned around to face his irritated friend.

"Anna," he started while walking to the couch where she was sitting petulantly, her arms still folded across her chest. "Of course I'm happy and excited for you. You've been screaming the same thing over and over again for the past hour. I'm making these pancakes to celebrate your success and because they're your favorite." Kristoff tried to explain but he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Anna. _Adorable. _She ignored his happy noise and continued to glare at the box that was sitting on her left.

Pause. The stubborn red head refused to look at him.

The dirty blonde haired boy shifted his weight on one leg as he stood waiting for Anna to respond. He ran a hand on the back of his neck and started rubbing it nervously. "Feisty Pants, please talk to me."

"On one condition," Anna finally trained her head to Kristoff's direction, her death glare still in tact. "I get to eat all the pancakes. You're only having one. A tiiiiiiiny one." Anna raised her hand and pressed two fingers together, leaving a very small gap in between to emphasize the size of the pancake Kristoff is allowed to eat.

Kristoff laughed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, but also on one condition."

"And what's that?" Anna inquired with a raised brow, her tone challenging.

"Come here and hug me." Kristoff wiggled his eyebrows and stretched out his arms while bending his knees to accommodate Anna's height. "Or else no pancakes for you at all."

Anna couldn't suppress the smile that her lips were forming. She couldn't stay mad at Kristoff. He looked ridiculous and the puppy eyes he was giving her succeeded in making her heart melt. She stood from the couch and slowly made her way to her best friend, whose arms were still outstretched and ready to engulf her.

Step.

"Promise you won't ignore me again and pick pancakes over me?"

"I promise. I'm sorry."

Step. Step.

"Promise you'll always have lunch with me in school and never ever leave me?"

"I promise."

Step.

Anna wrapped her arms around Kristoff's shoulder and Kristoff gladly locked her in an embrace. He lifted her up and his massive arms gently closed Anna in towards himself. The redhead happily nuzzled his shoulder; as she stood elevated from the ground she mentally noted the scent of pancakes and cinnamon lingering on Kristoff's shirt. She liked that smell. It was so Kristoff.

When he finally put her down, he raised his hands to cup Anna's face. "I am so proud of you, Feisty Pants. More than you'll ever know." His brown eyes softened when he saw his best friend's face light up.

Anna's hands were resting on Kristoff's chest just in case she wanted to wrap her arms around him again especially now that he's saying sweet and nice things. She couldn't help but flash a smile, gratitude blooming inside her chest at her best friend's sincere words. Kristoff was not the sentimental type of guy, the six-foot football player barely expressed his feelings and he definitely would be the last person on earth to ask for hugs. He liked how Kristoff was with her - gentle, relaxed, and more open. She cherished moments like these. It took a while for Kristoff to warm up to her, but Anna's persistence paid off and now, they are best of friends and inseparable.

"Anna, I love you. You know that right?"

"Kristoff..." Anna's teal-eyes widened, dramatically gasping as she placed a hand over her chest, "Loves me?" The redhead feigned innocence and playfully covered her mouth with both hands.

"You are such a stinker, Anna." Kristoff rolled his eyes and pulled her in for another embrace. She giggled and lifted her face to look at him.

"I know you love me. I love you, too. Bjorgman, you're like, the best big brother ever."

Kristoff smiled a little and rested his chin on top of her head, cradling the shorter girl that was happily hugging him. His face fell and the glow in his eyes started to slowly dissipate. He was glad Anna's head was resting on his chest and she wasn't able to see his face or else there would've been questions as to why he suddenly looked melancholy.

_Yeah. Big brother. Right. I keep forgetting that's all I am to you._

* * *

"_PUNZ, YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS HERE SOON. WE MUST CELEBRATE!" _Rapunzel Fitzherbert flinched and yanked her phone away from her ear to save it from being deafened by Anna's shrill cry. The shorthaired brunette shook her head and started to grin as she listened to her friend ramble excitedly from a distance, her phone still hovering over her ear. She fumbled in her purse with her other hand, trying to retrieve the keys to her home. It was raining profusely and she was already drenched, her pink coat saturated with water because she had forgotten to bring an umbrella. Finally, she had found her keys and she opened the door to her home.

"Anna, I just got inside the house. Will you _please _slow down and tell me what's going on again? I can barely hear you inside the car with all that rain." Rapunzel placed her purse on top of the dinner table and shook the wet coat off her body, hanging it inside the coat closet that was standing next to the main door entrance.

When she was finally settled, she went inside her shared bedroom with Eugene and plopped herself onto their bed. She was exhausted from drawing and mapping sketches for a client's new office all day with her colleagues. It was a big project, and it was possibly her company's greatest catch in years. Pepper Stark's office demanded over-the-top and hyper modernized details, and since money was not an issue, Rapunzel and her team found this to be just as equally exciting and challenging since they were not limited in budgeting and were allowed to be extravagant with their designs. But this meant more pressure for the young designer and her company since Pepper was a very influential woman and deserved nothing less but a powerhouse that suited her "no time for bullshit" personality. Rapunzel was more used to smaller projects and it was shocking to her to be chosen to be part of this project. This was something new for her since she was more inclined to designing children's playgrounds and bedrooms.

"Okay so, I got into my dream university!" The redhead exclaimed, but this time, without screaming and jumping around.

"Storybrooke University? I thought you didn't want to move to Maine?" Rapunzel asked, her green eyes scanned the ceiling and she noticed a haphazard brush stroke on one of the sun drawings she had painted. "_I have to fix that_," she silently thought to herself while pursing her lips.

"Storybrooke? No. Regina goes there, and she bullied me throughout high school. I don't want to see that witch." Anna's nose scrunched up in disgust as she remembered how miserable she was during high school because she was the target of Regina's jokes and cruelty. She had done nothing to offend the girl, but she was still mercilessly taunted and made fun of. It was years ago, but the memory still made Anna shiver.

"Besides, Snow said it rains there all the time. Like, I know it rains a lot here in Revenland, but it's not as bad."

"I thought you only moved there because you wanted to take a semester off and work while renting a place with Tiana and Ariel?" The green eyed girl continued to study her paintings on the ceiling and decided that she'll have to ask her husband to fetch her the ladder from the basement the next day because she needs to repaint a few images.

"Mom and dad decided to pay for my rent for the first few months until I get a job. They were really cool with me transferring to another school since Weselton University wasn't really my first choice. And I'm not really rooming with Ariel and Tiana anymore since they go to school on the opposite side of town and it'll be harder for them to commute. I have my own place now and Kristoff lives right around the corner and he goes to North Mountain, too! Everything's working out and I'm just so happy!" The redhead's enthusiasm was unwavering, and Rapunzel couldn't help but squeal delightfully.

"Okay, so which school is this again?"

"North Mountain University!"

Another happy squeal. "That's great, Anna! That's such an amazing school! I'm so happy for you!" Rapunzel sat up, her chest bubbling with excitement. "Some of my coworkers designed their new library. I heard it's humongous, I haven't really had the chance to check it out yet but I'm sure you'll enjoy the place. Some big time doctor donated tons of money for it to be funded. I forgot his name, I think it's Arendal or something." Rapunzel tapped her chin in thought, trying to remember the doctor's name.

"Arendal? Isn't that a place in Europe or something?" Anna frowned, puzzled by the foreign name. "Don't know who that is." The redhead jammed her phone in between her head and her shoulder so she can use both hands to tie her shoelaces. "But thank you, Doctor Arendal. I think I saw the announcement on the school website that they've added a lot of new computers, too. I'm so stoked to be going there."

"I know," Rapunzel chewed on her lower lip. "I'll come visit as soon as possible, I promise. Once this project is over, I'm all yours. Well, Eugene and I."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Of course, Mrs. Fitzherbert," the redhead tucked her hair behind her ear and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Grey shirt, black shorts, running shoes. Content that she looked presentable and ready to go, she smiled at the image before her and bid her best friend farewell.

"Punz, talk to you later? I'm gonna go out for a run. Tell Eugene I said 'hello' okay?"

"Sure, love. Tell Kristoff I said 'hello' too." The brunette stood up to open her closet, retrieving a pair of pajamas that she saw laying on top of Eugene's folded pants. "Tell him Pascal misses Sven! I'm gonna go and make dinner for Eugene before he gets home." Anna rolled her eyes and snorted upon hearing this. "Ugh, I'm just so in love with him," Rapunzel sighed and started to miss her husband. "I know and it's gross," Anna deadpanned. "Oh shut, up!" Rapunzel gasped and feigned insult. "Call me later, loser. I love you." Rapunzel unbuttoned her jeans, ready to wiggle herself out of them so she can change into something more comfortable.

The redhead couldn't help but giggle. "Love you, too!" Anna smiled warmly as she pressed the 'end' button. She missed Rapunzel and she was so excited for her friends getting married and starting a life together. They were perfect for each other, Rapunzel and Eugene. Anna was the Maid of Honor for her friends' big day and the memory of floating lanterns and the beach where the couple said their "I do's" made Anna's stomach flutter.

_I wonder who my soulmate is? _

Anna shook her head, a smirk forming on her lips. She exited her apartment and welcomed the warmth of the sun as she jogged towards the park.

* * *

"You're breaking up with me?" The voice of the young man pierced the silence of the night as he roared and demanded an answer from the blue-eyed girl standing in front of him. They were across the street from Maurice' Coffee Shoppe since the auburn haired man with the distinct sideburns could not lower his voice down, causing the startled young woman to beg him to exit the shop so they can talk in private.

"Hans…it hasn't been working out. It's not working out." Elsa's voice was feeble, she wanted to sound firm and authoritative like her father, but she could not. She wanted to cry and scream but the knot in her stomach prevented her to do so. She just couldn't win. No, she cannot break down in front of Hans. No, she will not allow herself to do it. The platinum blonde was hugging herself, protecting her core and trying her best not to crash and burn. Her hands started to tremble, but she held them close to her chest as she felt her heart rate quicken.

_Conceal it. Don't feel it. Don't let it show. You're failing. You're a fucking failure. Stop. Falling. Apart. Stop. Feeling. Stop._

"What do you mean it's not working out?" Hans shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying hard to control his voice and his temper. He was tired. He had a long day and he did not expect this. No, not at all. This was not part of the schedule. This was not part of the plan.

"I had been nothing but _good_ to you." Hans did not even try to hide the hint of accusation from his voice. He stared her down and demanded an answer, his eyebrows knotting in frustration.

Elsa felt something break inside her.

"What did I do, Elsa?" Dark green eyes met Elsa's and she could not help but look away. The intensity and the anger in Hans' eyes were too much for Elsa to take in, causing her to close in on herself even more. _Breathe._ Mustering whatever courage and strength that she had left, she faced Hans and gave him a feeble reply.

"Megara Thebes."

Elsa choked out the name like it was rotten food that she had been keeping inside her mouth for quite some time until she found a place to spit it out. She held it in for so long that it had rotted her insides, the decay spreading through her chest and everywhere else that was once in tact and unblemished by betrayal and hurt. Everything within her was slowly dying. She could no longer keep her silence. She could no longer live like this.

Pause.

Hans' eyebrows slowly relaxed as his features softened. His eyes never left Elsa's and the young girl could not decipher or read his thoughts based on his inconspicuous expression. They stared at each other, not saying a word. Right there and then, both of them knew that there was no going back. Elsa knew. She's known all along.

"How did you find out?" Hans started, his voice low and ominous. Elsa did not know whether or not she should feel relieved that he was not feigning innocence. _So it is true, after all._ The fact that Hans did not even try to deny knowing the name and the person added more blows to Elsa's injuries.

_Inhale. Exhale._ "She told me," Elsa swallowed a lump in her throat as she felt something wet threatening to fall down on her face so she she briskly brushed the back of her hand over her eyes in one sweep motion. "She came up to me after class a few weeks ago and she told me that you're with her and you've been seeing each other for two months."

Pause.

"She showed me…pictures of you and her together. She told me everything." Shimmering blue eyes studied Hans as he interlocked his hands over the back of his head.

Pause.

Hans snapped his eyes shut as one hand suddenly flew to his mouth.

Was he…._laughing?_ Elsa's eyes widened in disbelief, watching Hans shake uncontrollably, laughing unashamedly and jubilantly. He was bending over, his arms wrapped around his stomach to prevent himself from losing his balance. His howls grabbed the attention of the people nearby, but Elsa's eyes were solely on him, wondering what the hell was happening.

When he was finally done with his outburst, Hans wiped the tears from his eyes and faced the platinum blonde.

"I'm sorry," he started, his voice breathless. "I guess it's fucking over then." Elsa stared at him dumbfounded. _Is this a fucking joke?_

"You cheated on me, Hans. Is this something funny to you?" Elsa's words were laced in venom. She was suddenly seething in anger at how Hans was reacting to all of this. Her eyes narrowed and she stomped towards Hans.

"You cheated on me!" She pounded his chest with tightly coiled fists, causing him to stumble backwards. "Hans, why? How dare you tell me that all you were was good to me when you've been sleeping with another girl behind my back?" Hot tears started to stream down her face but she did not care. She did not care that her voice was breaking and she did not care if people around her saw. Something inside her snapped and she no longer cared right this moment whether she should fix it or not.

_That perfect girl is gone. _

A malicious snarl distorted Hans' face as he grabbed Elsa's hand. "I fucking cheated on you because we both know this whole thing is staged by our fathers. I tried to look past that because I really liked you. I really fucking did." He hissed as his eyes darkened and drilled Elsa's. He was pressing her hand too hard, causing her to flinch but she did not retaliate or pull away. The words that were coming out of his mouth did more damage than his tight grip.

"Of course this relationship didn't work out because you never trusted me to begin with," Hans let go of Elsa and flailed his arms in the air, not knowing what to do with them in his frustration. "You won't let me in. You won't even fucking have sex with me." Elsa's eyebrows shot up incredulously upon hearing this. Unbelievable. "You won't let me get close to you. It's been months, Elsa. I'm not going to sit around and wonder if you're into me or not." It was Hans' turn to be angry again. He jabbed an accusing finger at her and continued to berate her.

"Did you really think I was going to last with you? You're like a puppet," he bellowed. "You only care about what your father thinks! _And you will never be half the woman Meg is!_" Hans regretted these words the moment they came out but he did not bother taking them back. What was the point of sugarcoating? It was over anyway. What was the point of pretending to care about what she thought?

Elsa was too stunned to reply. The anger within her came to an abrupt halt and all she can do was stare at Hans. The ringing in her ears became distant and hazy, everything within her and around her were suddenly slowing down and melting away. She suddenly felt so…_hollow_. She could've said so much. But she was drained. So drained. All those weeks of pretending that things were okay after finding out the truth depleted her. After a few minutes of deafening silence, Elsa finally spoke up.

"Love." She whispered quietly as her gaze met the ground. The four letter word sounded so foreign and taboo as it rolled out of her lips.

"What are you talking about?" Hans shook his head in confusion.

Elsa looked up to meet his eyes, all anger wiped away by the silent tears that trickled down unapologetically. "Was it all a lie?...You telling me that you'll wait? You telling me that you actually love me?" Her voice was hoarse; broken and defeated and...unwilling to fight back.

Silence.

"Hans, was it all a lie?" Elsa asked once again; a hint of desperation coated her already trembling voice. Why she felt this nagging desperation, she did not know. She did not understand. She sounded pathetic, but she needed to hear his answer. She needed him to tell her that their relationship wasn't all a hoax.

_No, not all of it. It can't be._

She tried. Heaven knows she tried.

But it wasn't good enough for him. She was not good enough for him.

Hans looked at Elsa. For the first time, he really looked at her and saw her for who she really was.

_Beautiful but unreachable. Too broken to be loved._

"Oh, Elsa," There was genuine pity in his voice. He straightened his back and crossed his arms against his chest, making him look like he was looming over Elsa. He looked at her with steel green eyes that eerily reminded Elsa of her father's; a small mocking smile then made its way onto his face.

"If only there was someone out there who loved you."_  
_


	4. Collide

**A/N: **And they finally meet.

* * *

**Now Playing: The Turtles / So Happy Together**

* * *

The shuffling of her feet and the music blaring from her earphones were the only things Anna was focused on while she jogged and motivated herself to keep going. She had wanted to go faster, but the redhead ate leftover pancakes from last night before heading out. Anna realized that this had been a bad idea since she was almost convinced that the contents of her stomach were about to rise up to her chest in an attempt to exit grotesquely from her mouth.

_Damn you and your pancakes, Kristoff. _

But she kept persevering; she wanted to finish another lap around the park before stopping. Worn out running shoes padded steadily onto the pavement as she felt brittle dried leaves crunch under them. The back of her shirt was already drenched in sweat and her face was flushed. Strands of bangs matted together on her forehead, beads of perspiration gluing them in place.

_Come on, one more lap and it's going to be two miles. Let's go, Fjellheim!  
_

* * *

_Elsa, I'm sorry that this is so last minute…but Dr. W wanted to move the meeting at 11:30 instead of 2:30. I tried calling your phone but u weren't picking up. Please reply when u get this message. Hope to see u soon. - Vanellope V.S._

Her eyes had already started to sting from re-reading the text message for the fifth time. She already replied to Vanellope and confirmed her attendance, insisting that she would come on time, but she kept going over the message as if waiting for the secretary to text her back to change the time again. Vanellope assured Elsa that she did not have to arrive early and that she can send a limousine to come and pick her up from her place but the twenty-one-year old was set on going by herself and refused to inconvenience anyone. She did not need a car to pick her up, her apartment was eight blocks away from the hospital and she did not want her father to know that she was using his limousine because she was running late. That would just be irresponsible.

_11:05. I can still make it._

Elsa was speed walking. She cut through the park in hopes of getting to her destination faster since this route was the easiest shortcut instead of going another way. The only day where she allowed herself to sleep in and put her phone on silent, her father decided to pull the rug from under her feet and catch her off guard with this change of schedule. She cursed under her breath and continued to walk swiftly, her stilettos clacking against the pavement.

Lack of time prevented her from putting make-up on and she could only manage to fix her platinum blonde mane in a simple bun, her bangs swept to the side in an effortless but fashionable manner. She hurriedly dressed herself in black slacks and a red button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up just above her elbows. Upon exiting her apartment, she stopped by a nearby deli to grab a cup of coffee to jolt her back to reality and wake her senses. No time for Starbucks, she needed something warm in her stomach to somehow calm her nerves.

She took a sharp sip from her coffee while continuing to scan her phone for text messages and e-mails. Her head was dipped low and her eyes were shifting back and forth trying to read the words on the screen. She continued to move forward, inattentive and oblivious of the running figure from a distance that was coming from the opposite direction towards her.

* * *

_Imagine me and you __*huff*__ I do *__huff__*I think about you day and night *__huff*__ it's only right *__huff__* to think about the girl you love and hold her tight *__huff*__ so happy together *__huff__*_

Anna tried to sing the classic Turtles song in between breaths while she continued to run. Kristoff made her a playlist titled, "~beastly reindeer king songs~" and insisted that she downloaded it on her iPod. She did not find this song to be particularly "beastly." Actually, the whole playlist was far from intimidating and fast-paced. She was quite surprised to know that Kristoff listened to "oldies" music. The playlist included songs from The Beach Boys, The Cure, and a variety from The Beatles. It was out of character for the stocky football player to be listening to such mellow music, but Anna loved the surprise.

_What a fruitcake._ A small grin rose from the corner of her lips as she thought of her best friend.

The adrenaline infused redhead was sprinting this time; she just wanted to end her exercise but will not stop until she's done circling the park for her last lap. She can feel her shins and her legs burn from pain, but Anna was stubborn and did not let this throbbing inconvenience stop her.

Something caught her eye from her far right.

She saw two little girls chasing each other as their father and mother laughed and ran along with them. Anna slowed her pace and smiled widely, watching the little family run in circles in a field of grass near the playground. The Turtles were still serenading her while she jogged, her eyes shining at the adorable sight.

* * *

_Imagine how the world could be, so very fine, so happy together…  
_

* * *

_I'm fifteen mins away. I'll be there soon. –E_

Elsa struggled to text with one hand. She wanted to call Vanellope but decided not to because she suspected the secretary was preparing the office for the meeting and she did not want to disturb her. She continued to walk, taking another sip from her already lukewarm coffee. Elsa suddenly felt a slight chill as a whooshing sound reverberated through the park, making the trees sway along with the wind. In a hurried frenzy from trying to leave her apartment to get to the hospital on time, she had forgotten to bring a blazer with her.

Her phone started to buzz in her palm. She shook her head and sighed appreciatively. _Vanellope replies fast_. But when she lifted her hand to take a closer look at the screen, she was surprised that it wasn't from the secretary, but from her childhood friend from Norway named Olaf.

_Hi, Your Majesty. I'm going to be in Revenland for a few weeks! Please make time for me because I REALLY wanna see you and give you the warmest of hugs! Call me when you get this message! :D_

Elsa's face lit up upon reading this. She immediately clicked on Olaf's name to make a call, excitement started to swell from within her as she placed the phone over her ear. When she made a turn, she caught a glimpse of a family of four running around and laughing extravagantly.

* * *

_Me and you and you and me, no matter how they toss the dice, it has to be…_

* * *

Voicemail. Elsa frowned and waited for Olaf's phone to prompt her to leave a message.

"Olaf! I just got your text message," her eyes followed the smaller girl who was wearing a green shirt and white shorts. She was chasing a taller girl who was probably her older sister. They had matching shorts, but the older girl was wearing a light blue shirt. "You can stay over my place, let me know when you're coming so I can clear my schedule." Elsa caught the mother's attention, and the woman smiled warmly at her. She shyly returned the gesture and continued to walk briskly, distracted by the older girl who locked the smaller girl in an embrace from the back. Her voice was shaking with laughter as she loudly exclaimed, "Tickle bumps!" The younger girl squealed in delight and tried to wiggle herself from her sister's arms; the older girl darted her hands onto the sides of the little girl, her fingers wriggled mercilessly as she tickled her.

The blonde shook her head, a smile forming on her lips when she saw the older girl plant a kiss on her baby sister's forehead while they were on the grass playfully tackling each other.

* * *

_The only one for me is you, and you for me__, s__o happy together…_

* * *

The sound of running shoes crushing aggressively against the pavement broke through Elsa's stupor, causing her to whip her head towards the source of the noise. Blue eyes widened like saucers when she saw a mixture of reds and greys charging towards her.

Anna was beaming at the sight of the children. When she was finished admiring the view, she turned her head and immediately caught sight of a taller woman dressed in red. Teal eyes widened with panic as they realized how close their proximity was. The girl in front of her mirrored her expression and tried to step aside but it was too late. Way too late.

_Oh shit!_

Anna yanked the earphones from her ear. She tried to slow down, but her momentum prevented her from doing so. Her attempt to stop abruptly failed as she skidded and tripped over her feet, her body crashing onto the other girl. Her head bumped onto Elsa's shoulder, the impact causing the blonde to stumble backwards and drop her phone _and _coffee cup; its contents spraying both her and the redhead as it landed on the floor, soaking Anna's sneakers with one last _splat_.

Before either of them can react, Anna was still trying to gain some balance when her foot landed on her dangling earphones, resulting to a very ungraceful fall.

Elsa stared at her heels and her soaked pants in horror, her hands froze in midair and her legs were slightly parted in an almost crouching position. She can feel her ears ringing and the beating of her heart was so loud. If she didn't know any better, she would have believed that it was going to burst right out of her chest.

"I am so sorry," Elsa snapped her head at Anna's direction upon hearing her voice, her panic causing her to momentarily forget that the other girl was there. It happened too fast. Anna was already standing up and she was clumsily wiping her hands on her shorts. Rivulets of blood trickled from her leg because she scraped it from tripping and falling. " I-I wasn't looking! Are you hurt?" Anna flinched at the sudden pain from her leg and from seeing Elsa's startled form. Her face was so red from embarrassment, she wasn't sure what to do with her hands as they started to fly in every direction while she explained herself.

Elsa was also flustered, shaky hands frantically smoothed her red shirt, slight relief washing over her when she realized it wasn't drenched in coffee. "I was looking at the cute little children and I didn't even notice that you were there!" The redhead was quickly filled with dismay. She couldn't look Elsa in the eye, humiliation and shame still etched on her face.

_What a dumbass excuse. _Anna bit her tongue, rebuking herself for her reckleness.

She was still hanging her head low, avoiding eye contact, when saw Elsa's white iPhone on the ground. Anna took the opportunity to duck down to pick it up, hoping that the flush on her face would somehow disappear. When she rose up to finally face Elsa, the blonde cleared her throat.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" Elsa asked cautiously, unfocused, her eyes flitting back and forth between Anna's disheveled hair and the distracting array of freckles peppered over her nose. She can still hear the drumming of her heart pounding through her chest. _Calm down. This is nothing. You're okay. Breathe in. Out._ She surveyed the shorter girl as she rested a hand over her chest. Her heart started to relax and slow its pace when she took control of her breathing. _Steady. Breathe. You're okay. It's okay._

Teal meets blue.

_Holy. Shit._ Anna's eyes widened at the sight of Elsa.

_Thud. _

_Thud. _

_Thud._

Anna gulped nervously, her ears felt hot and her throat was suddenly dry. "Uh, yeah," she croaked as she extended her hand to give Elsa her phone. "Here's your phone." Their fingers brushed against each other at the exchange, making Elsa blush in spite of herself. _Wait, what?_

"I am so sorry. I'll replace your pants! I'll buy you another cup of co-" Anna's voice was pleading and she was about to bombard Elsa with apologies once again when the platinum blonde interrupted her.

Elsa shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. "No, it's okay. Really, it is. It was an accident," Elsa was hoping that her smile was convincing to somehow relax the overly flustered girl. She ran a hand over the top of head to smoothen her hair, wishing she had brought her purse so she can pull out her little mirror to see if it was still in tact.

"I'm going to a meeting and it's right around the corner. I'm okay." Elsa kept tapping the screen of her phone with her thumb, her arms now hanging uselessly against her thighs. She nervously checked her wristwatch and gritted her teeth against her tongue. _2:25_. She wasn't going to make it to that meeting on time. And if she did, she wasn't sure if her father would be thrilled to see her looking so rumpled and reeking with the scent of cheap coffee. She can't back out now, she was expected to be there and she was just a few blocks away.

Anna looked to her side, tucking her hair behind her ears, her freckled face still hinting shades of reds.

"I have to….."

"Are you sure you're…."

Both girls spoke at the same time, and when their words clashed, they looked at each other and turned their heads away, avoiding each other's stares. The redhead bit her lower lip and timidly folded her hands together in front of her, teal eyes scanning the floor for a hole to sink herself into so it can swallow her whole. Elsa forced a nervous laugh, a sudden blush dusting her pale cheeks.

Regaining her composure while trying to avoid the uncomfortable wetness that was just below her legs from the splatter of the coffee, she looked at Anna, whose head was still dipped low in shame. Elsa followed Anna's gaze; she noticed that the redhead's once white sneakers were completely saturated with her beverage.

"Hey, it's really okay." Elsa offered, looking up. She felt bad for Anna and did not mean for her to be this abashed. It was an accident after all.

Anna slowly and hesitantly raised her head to train her eyes on Elsa's face.

Anna noted Elsa's appearance: The blonde had her hair styled in a bun with loose strands sticking out, and her bangs were swept to the side, revealing bright blue eyes that reminded Anna of the sky. Her lips were slightly parted, and her cheeks were covered in a soft shade of pink. She noticed Elsa's chest heaving back and forth, the top of it bare from her shirt not being buttoned all the way up to the neck-the tips of her ears felt hot; she gulped, hoping the other girl did not notice.

_Holy. Shit. She's so…gorgeous._

She stayed quiet for a few seconds, collecting her thoughts so she wouldn't babble something incoherent and embarrass herself even more. Once she was convinced that she was ready to talk without making a fool out of herself, Anna took a step forward. She slightly cringed when she felt the wetness inside her shoes and the throbbing pain on her leg from her previous fall. _I guess I need to buy new running shoes now. And some band-aids. _The thought of coffee and sweat combining made her stomach turn. She shook the disgusting images away and diverted her attention back to the blue-eyed girl.

Anna swallowed hard in an attempt to wash away the tremor in her voice. _Stop being so awkward._

"I'm Anna. Anna Fjellheim," Anna tried to sound casual as she extended her hand, watching Elsa cautiously for any sign of refusal. She didn't know why she was introducing herself, but it seemed like the appropriate thing to do. Because of her, the girl is late to a very important meeting. Because of her, she might get fired from her job. Negative thoughts bombarded Anna's mind but her hand stayed still, reaching out to Elsa's. It took Elsa a second to realize what was going on and she quickly switched to professional mode.

"Elsa Arendelle," the blonde blinked and replied mechanically as she took Anna's hand. Anna felt the softness of Elsa's palm against her own. A warm flush crept up to the blonde's face at the contact which she found to be strange because she's used to shaking people's hand-that, she can handle as long as she didn't engage in long conversations. Walt made sure that she had the social skills to communicate with others even if it was just a facade. _Shake hands. Smile. Be polite. Make small chit chats. That's all you need to do. If you're nervous, conceal it and don't let it show. Put on a show._

_Arendelle...that sounds familiar. _Anna pursed her lip in thought. But before Anna can remember where she had heard that name before, she turned to look at Elsa and noticed that she was blushing. Her worry started to resurface again.

A look of concern furrowed the redhead's brows. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Elsa smiled weakly, touched by Anna's sincerity. "Yes, I'll be fine," she replied. Anna fiddled with the tangled earphones in her hand, not knowing what to say next as she scuffed her shoes on the ground hoping for them to somehow dry up. Elsa was hugging herself, cerulean eyes studying the skies above them. The sun was hiding behind the clouds and Elsa wondered if it was going to rain. Anna was watching her, taking in another gulp, suddenly mesmerized by how attractive she is. She had wanted to say more but couldn't find the words. What else was there to say anyway?

_Oh God, do you know how overly attractive you are and how stupid I feel right now for bringing us both in this stupid, awkward, stupid, stupidest situation?_

"I have to go my meeting," Elsa said, her gentle voice breaking through Anna's panicked stupor. Her arms were still wrapped around herself, but her eyes were now fixed on Anna. "Oh yeah. S-sure. Meeting. Of course. Have fun." The redhead sputtered, the blush on her face returning with a vengeance.

"It was nice meeting you, Anna." Intrigue and wonder played on Elsa's shy smile. She couldn't help but find Anna..._fascinating_.

_Why is she so flustered?_ Elsa thought.

Usually, when placed in an awkward situation, Elsa would be the one panicking, her nerves shooting in every direction. But surprisingly so, she wasn't as shaken. Her heart was no longer running in a stampede and she wasn't deathly petrified. Anna had taken the blow and claimed all the awkwardness and dread all on her own. Puzzled and conflicted by these thoughts, Elsa found herself..._grateful_ to Anna. For the first time in so long, she found herself somewhat calm in the presence of another person. A stranger. It was a rare occurrence, and it was something Elsa found to be…refreshing.

Pause.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Anna asked hesitantly, she was gripping the edge of her shirt with both hands, her thumbs rubbing against each other. She wanted to slap herself for asking the same question over and over again, but that was all she can really come up with. She was tongue tied and caught off guard, being in front of Elsa was making her nervous and fidgety.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Elsa replied patiently, finding it hard to conceal her smile, which she tried to cover by placing a hand over her mouth. Anna's eyes widened and she flashed Elsa a goofy grin. Elsa chuckled and was about to say something when her cellphone started to buzz. There was an incoming call from Vanellope. _Shit._ "I really have to go," she told Anna apologetically, glancing at Anna and then at her phone.

"Okay," Anna replied, eyes flickering between Elsa and the phone in her hand. She scratched the back of her neck, her fingers digging deep through her skin. "I'll see you around, Elsa." Anna grinned nervously, wondering if Elsa can hear the somersaults her heart was currently doing.

Elsa nodded and gave Anna a shy lopsided smile. She raised her hand to give a small wave but hesitated, allowing it to close in on a fist as she lowered it down. "Goodbye, Anna." They looked at each other for a moment before Elsa turned her back and started to walk away. Anna watched Elsa's figure grow dim as she kept walking farther. When Elsa was no longer in sight, she let out her breath in a long sigh of relief.

She was holding her breath the whole time while she was watching Elsa leave.

Her hand reached into her pockets to retrieve her iPod, thankful when she saw that it didn't crack when it fell on the ground with her. When she connected her earphones back to the machine, she pressed "play". The Turtles happily continued their upbeat song; unaware of everything that just happened.

_When you're with me, baby, the skies will be blue for all my life…_

Anna tilted her head upwards, squinting, because of the sudden reappearance of the sun. Cotton-candy shaped clouds floated in the atmosphere, adding decorum and company to the vast and endless horizon. She closed her eyes and let the sun's warmth wash over her, allowing herself to clear her mind and breathe in fresh air. And when she opened them again, blue skies greeted her once again.

_Blue. Just like Elsa's eyes._


	5. Genesis

**Now Playing: Voxtrot / The Start Of Something**

* * *

"...And that's how I met Elsa." The redhead buried her head in her hands, trying hard to conceal the color that was creeping up to her face. She had just finished telling Kristoff the story about her encounter with the platinum blonde whom she met a few days ago. It was Saturday morning, and she was in IHOP with Kristoff, who was not a fan of the pancakes that were being served in what people thought to be the "best pancake place in the world." He didn't get it. The rugged blonde boy insisted that the pancakes in this place were made of paper and trash, and he refused to take part in any of it. But because this was Anna's favorite place to go to, he had no choice but to oblige and accompany his best friend while ordering nothing but coffee. Teal colored puppy eyes won him over, and he hated how they always convince him to do things he wasn't very fond of. He hated it even more that for the past two Saturdays, he's been finding himself in the same place and the same seat because of those very same eyes.

"I get it. You just made a fool of yourself in front of this chick. It happens, Anna." Kristoff shrugged nonchalantly, clearly unnerved by her story. "I mean you're not exactly the most graceful person out there." He traced the lip of his mug with an idle finger, brown eyes lazily resting on Anna's half eaten pancakes.

The restaurant was filled with senior citizens readying themselves with a hearty meal before "Bingo Day" in the neighboring recreational building. They were the same crowd the two best friends always found themselves eating with the past few mornings. Anna and Kristoff were out of place; what kind of college student would be up at nine in the morning on a Saturday? But Kristoff wasn't bothered by it and didn't mind one bit since he was apart from the usual noise and rowdiness he was always exposed to on a daily basis in campus, and he was sure Anna would know how he felt once she starts school soon. A little break from college life is nice. More time with Anna is also nice. The soft murmurs and distant conversations filled Kristoff and Anna's background, lulling them both to a tranquil and relaxed state. Although he didn't like the food or anything else they served besides the coffee, he did enjoy the laid-back and welcoming atmosphere.

Anna narrowed her eyes at Kristoff. "Listen, if you embarrassed yourself in front of a gorgeous girl, you would know exactly how I feel." She caught sight of Kristoff's mug and cringed. "And I made her spill her coffee on herself." The redhead groaned, pushing the plate of pancakes away from her while she leaned her head over the table, softly bashing it against it repeatedly.

The finger that was circling the coffee mug twitched. Kristoff quirked a curious brow at the forlorn girl in front of him. "Gorgeous girl? Don't tell me you have a crush on her."

"Don't be silly, Kristoff. I don't even know her and I've met her once." Anna lifted her head, frowned, and blew a raspberry at her best friend. "Just because I say someone's gorgeous it doesn't mean I immediately have a crush on them."

"Well, why would you say she's gorgeous then?

"Because she is? Doesn't mean I have a crush on her. God, what is this? Fourth grade?" Anna took a hard stab at her pancake and sliced a large piece haphazardly with her knife before shoving it in her mouth.

"I think you're bluffing."

"I think you're annoying." Anna said around a mouthful of pancake while pointing her fork at Kristoff. "What's it to you anyway?"

"Nothing. Forget it." Kristoff waved a hand dismissively. "Gosh, I can't make comments now?" He grumbled under his breath like a boy being scolded by his mother. "And those pancakes are disgusting. I don't understand why you insist on going here when I make you pancakes all the time." He waved an accusing finger at Anna and her blasphemous meal.

Anna shrugged in an I-don't-really-care manner. "I like IHOP. Deal with it. Besides, I know you're busy. I can't always come over so you can make me pancakes all the time." She took another bite and made a face, regretting the amount of maple syrup she poured over her stack of goodies. It was way too sweet.

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. Did you buy books for your classes yet?"

Anna dropped her fork on her plate, its clanging sound making Kristoff wince. "Yes, I have!" She said excitedly, her face lit up with the realization that school is in a few days. "I bought second hand books online the moment the professors emailed the syllabus and I got them all for a really good price." She said proudly while crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's great!" Kristoff lifted his hand for a high five that Anna responded to happily. "I borrowed some of mine from Philip since he already took some of the classes I'm taking. And hey, imagine if-" Kristoff contemplated carefully before proceeding with his next words. He rubbed his chin and a mischievous grin rose from the corner of his lips. "Imagine what?" Anna asked.

"Imagine if Elsa goes to North Mountain University. That'll be interesting." The smile on Kristoff's face did not falter. "Very funny, Bjorgman." Anna replied tonelessly. "By the looks of it, that girl probably goes to an ivy league school or something. Or, she's probably not in school anymore." Anna blew on her fringe, she wanted to fix her ponytail but her hands were sticky from making contact with maple syrup. While she was talking to Kristoff earlier, her hands accidentally landed on her pancakes when she tried to demonstrate something she did to further elaborate her story and make it more animated. "She did say that she was going to a meeting, so she's probably some sort of CEO or manager or whatever." Anna rolled back her shoulders and slumped on her seat. It was almost 10:30 and she thought of calling the waiter over for their check.

"Ivy league? CEO? Manager?" Kristoff raised his brow skeptically. "Are you sure you don't know this girl? It seems like you got really chummy with her during that little encounter."

"Calm down. I was only making theories with the information she told me." The redhead said while raising her hands defensively. "Besides, North Mountain is a big school. And I don't think the gods hate me that much to mock me."

"Fair enough." Kristoff huffed.

"Yeah, yeah." Anna rolled her eyes. She raised her hand and caught the attention of the waiter who was smiling when he made his way to their table. She insisted on paying for both of their meals until Kristoff snatched her credit card from her hand and gave his own card to the waiter instead. The waiter chuckled at the adorable pair before walking away to get their bill. "This isn't fair." Anna said petulantly while glaring at Kristoff. "You're always paying for our meals."

"No big deal. Just buy me dessert later or something."

"Deal." Anna stood up from her seat; she walked behind Kristoff and wrapped her arms around him while resting her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for breakfast." Anna's breath ghosted over Kristoff's ear, making the blonde boy slightly shiver from the contact. He stiffened and patted Anna's hands awkwardly, quietly wondering why he still feels overwhelmed when Anna touches him since it was something she did often. Anna loved hugs and freely gave them to anyone even if they weren't so fond of them. One look at those big teal eyes and easy smile, you just can't resist and you find yourself hugging back. And wanting more. Once the redhead let go and returned to the opposite side of the table, Kristoff exhaled air that he didn't even know he was holding back. "You're welcome." Kristoff muttered as Anna playfully scrunched up his nose at him.

The pair exited the restaurant after the waiter handed Kristoff his credit card back. Anna's car was parked all the way on the opposite side of the street and they couldn't wait to get inside to the comfort of the air conditioner after being greeted by the scorching heat.

"So Anna…"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna go to the park?"

"Why? Can't you see how hot it is right now?" Anna asked her best friend quizzically.

"Maybe we'll bump into Elsa. No pun intended." Kristoff threw his head back and laughed.

Anna smacked Kristoff's arm, which really had no effect since it was like slapping a huge, immovable, and extremely tall tree. The football player laughed even more at Anna's feeble attempt and patted her head playfully.

"Don't get inside my car. You're walking."

Kristoff guffawed as he placed his arm around Anna's shoulder, leaning his face closer to hers. "Don't worry, if we ever see her again I'll make sure to hide you inside my pocket so she won't see you," he whispered conspiringly. Anna studied his face; his big brown eyes bore into hers. "You're an asshole." She whispered back. Kristoff laughed hysterically as he let go of Anna and made his way to the passenger side of the car. Anna sat on the driver's seat and turned the engine on.

_If I see her again? What are the odds of that?_

Kristoff, who suddenly turned on the radio, interrupted Anna's thoughts. She pouted, giving her best friend a side-glance. His eyes were closed, bobbing his head and singing in a low but clear voice the chorus to his and Anna's favorite song.

_Take me on back... take me back_

_to the place where I could feel your heart_

_Is this the end or just the start of something really, really beautiful_

_wrapped up and disguised as something really, really ugly?_

* * *

She envied the little girl that was smiling mirthfully right back at her. Her little face was smeared with residues of chocolate ice cream, yet she was without a care in the world and held onto the hand of a man whose eyes were closed while laughing zestfully, the corner of his eyes crinkling in delight. Elsa examined the girl thoughtfully and wondered what joke was shared between her and the man that caused him to laugh so gleefully. She wondered if it was something the little girl said or done that did the trick. Was it because of the silly way she smiled with all that ice cream on her face? Or was it because he suddenly remembered a funny scene from a television show he watched? She wanted to know if he ever laughed like that by himself when he found something amusing. Did he find the little girl with the lop-sided grin amusing? She wanted to hear the sound that comes out of his mouth when he's in the middle of giggling about something or just…anything. He looked so happy. Relaxed. She wanted to ask the girl, but she knew it was impossible. She knew the little girl no longer remembered.

Because Elsa no longer remembered.

It has been thirteen years since that photo has been taken and she longer knew what it was that made Walt Arendelle laughed.

The picture stood immaculate and timeless as Elsa's laptop desktop wallpaper. It was her eighth birthday and Walt had taken her to Oaken's Ice Cream Parlor, a local ice cream shop in Norway where they had been living at the time. The rest of the afternoon was spent on a carnival with just Elsa and Walt since Elsa didn't have a party because they had moved there just two days before her birthday; she hasn't started school yet and didn't have any friends to invite if said party was to take place. It was a simple and quiet afternoon, a day that was just like any other day. There was no ostentatious celebration and there were no extravagant gifts except the ones received from their maids (they baked her favorite cupcakes), her uncle (he gave her a white gold necklace that had a snowflake shaped pendant), and a couple of classic fairy tale books Walt had gotten for her.

Her birthdays before that and the ones that came after didn't mean much to Elsa. She particularly didn't like her birthday because she was convinced that Walt didn't like it, too, since he was barely ever there for any of them. But thirteen years ago, when she turned eight, her father spent the day with her and he was laughing. She wasn't alone with the maids and it wasn't a banquet filled with doctors who kept talking to Walt about surgeries and medicine while he completely forgets about her and focuses on work related things instead as she sat in a corner by herself with her untouched birthday cake.

Elsa realizes it now that he was probably available that whole afternoon that day so many years ago because a surgery might have been cancelled and he had some free time to spare. But the blonde refused to tamper this memory of that one perfect birthday with the harsh reality that it all happened by chance and not by choice. It was the one memory she held onto and pulled out on her bad days to remind her that there was a time when Walt laughed candidly and there was a possibility that she may have been the reason.

_I wonder if Mama... _

Elsa's musings were disrupted by the creaking sound of the door where two students made their entrance. She immediately recognized the short and plump boy, Marlin, by the orange fitted hat he always wore backwards. Beside him was his best friend, a tall and lanky girl named Dory, who was wearing eyeglasses with a roll of white tape in the middle to hold the frames together. Dory's choice of outfit for the day was a light blue shirt with the words "Fish Are Friends Not Food" written on it in white bold letters. She always wore shirts with slogans and sayings engraved on them. Elsa always looked forward to Dory coming in to class, especially with the shirts she wore because she found them to be eccentric and interesting at the same time. The duo smiled and waved at Elsa as they ascended the flight of stairs by the end of the hall to make their way to the very back of the room where they always sat. Elsa returned the gesture and returned her attention back to her laptop screen, this time logging on to her e-mail to see if she had received any important memos.

"So I'm thinking, maybe we should call Bruce later and tell him to meet us up for a game of charades?" Elsa overheard Dory ask Marlin excitedly as they settled on their seats.

"Yo, Elsa, wanna come play charades with us?" Dory's voice echoed throughout the lecture hall. Luckily, it was only the three of them that was there since they seem to be the only ones who came to class earlier than usual.

Marlin sighed wearily. "We all agreed to watching a movie just a few minutes ago, Dory. Please stick with the program." He replied flatly. "Elsa, we're watching a movie. Wanna come?" Marlin called out from the back of the room, the same reverberating effect of sound bounced through the walls.

"Oh! Right! Movie!" Dory chirped happily. Elsa paused and a small grin graced her face. She turned around, leaning her arm on top of her chair. "I'm sorry, guys." Elsa bit her lower lip, her eyebrows furrowing together. "I can't today." She smiled apologetically. Elsa was touched by the kind gesture and invitation, but she had a doctor's appointment to attend to in the afternoon. _I wonder when I'll stop going to these so I can actually hang out and be normal. _She thought to herself.

"That's okay, Elsa!" Marlin said encouragingly while giving Elsa a thumbs-up.

"There's always next time!" Dory chimed in. She took a quick glance at Marlin and imitated his hand gesture, a goofy smile plastered on her face.

She chuckled and smiled at the pair thankfully before turning her head back to her laptop. It fascinated her to see Marlin and Dory get along so well. They were inseparable although they were total opposites. Marlin was quiet and often serious, which was everything Dory was often not. Their conversation droned on and it eventually became distant and fragmented to Elsa as she found herself immersed in her laptop again. Delicate fingers hovered over the keyboard as she scanned the list of emails she had just received.

There was a message from Olaf that was sent at 6:10 AM:

_Hey pretty girl, here's an attachment of my itinerary. Did you clear your schedule yet? You work too much! See you in a week! _

-_Olaf _

Elsa clicked the file and looked through Olaf's flight schedule and the time he will be arriving in Revenland from Norway. Icy blue eyes scrutinized the e-mail; she wanted to make sure there were enough days to spend with her friend since it has been two years since she last saw him. She grabbed her book bag that was sitting on a chair next to her and fumbled through it to find her cellphone. One she found it, she pressed the white circular button at the bottom, causing it to come to life. Elsa squinted at the bright light and typed in her four-digit password.

_6262\. _

She went to her "Messages" icon and clicked on the top right, on the rectangular shaped box with a pencil drawn over it that prompted her to write a message. She paused for a few seconds, thinking of what to write.

_Hi, Vanellope._ She started. _Good morning. How are you? I hope all is well. I'm just wondering…how many meetings do I have lined up next week? Could you please check for me if that's okay with you?_

Sent.

Elsa drummed her fingers on the wooden desk, her other hand holding onto the cellphone, waiting for Vanellope's reply. _I'll cancel therapy for next week since I went twice last week already. _Her phone buzzed a few minutes later. One text message from Vanellope Von Schweetz.

_Good morning, Elsa. I am looking at the computer right now and it says that you only have two meetings next week. They're on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Thurs: 4PM with a rep from Notre Dame Pharmaceuticals. It's a presentation about their new advanced asthma inhaler. Fri: 9:30AM with Dr. Woody Davis and Dr. Buzz Lightyear from Pixar Pediatric Hospital. Not really a meeting, they just a want to take a look at the Arendelle peds wing. Walt thought it would be a good idea for you to be acquainted with them so he asked me to schedule you as their tour guide or something. What's up? _

Elsa worried her lower lip. Her thumbs hung idle over the cellphone screen, waiting for her brain to come up with the next words that they will be typing. Once she was sure of what she wanted to say, she typed her response and clicked the "send" button.

_Do you think you can reschedule and ask them to come the week after instead if it's not troublesome? I have something personal to attend to and I need the whole week off…_

Sent.

She then placed the phone against her laptop screen, turning her head to the door where she saw the professor walking in along with other students. Behind the professor was Eric, whispering something to his girlfriend Ariel, who was laughing while clutching his arm. Aurora entered next, yawning, with a cup of coffee in her hand. It was already eight-fifty, and students started to pile up to head to their seats. Soft chattering and footsteps squeaking through the floor filled the once silent classroom she shared with Dory and Marlin a few minutes ago.

Elsa was biting her thumb anxiously, her eyebrows mashed together in anticipation. _Vanellope, please make it work._

As she was praying to the gods for a miracle, her phone started to vibrate, notifying her of the secretary's reply. She took a glimpse at the professor who had his back facing the blackboard; he was in the middle of writing the class agenda for the day. When it was safe for her to read the message, Elsa took her phone and placed her hand underneath the table covertly. She ducked her head down and opened the message, a wide grin forming on her face when she read the reply.

_Sure thing, Elsa! I'll inform them about the schedule change. Don't worry about it. I'll let you know your new schedule after I arrange it with them. The Notre Dame and the Pixar guys are really nice. Met with them a few times. Just enjoy your week, okay?_

A sigh of relief escaped Elsa's lips. She thanked Vanellope and tossed her phone back inside her bag. The grateful girl started to contemplate ways to thank the secretary for all her work and effort. _I'm gonna ask Remy to prepare breakfast for her and leave it on her desk tomorrow before she comes in. Hmm…does she like flowers? _Elsa pulled her laptop closer to her, looking up to see if the professor was finished with what he was writing and then she opened a new file on Microsoft Word just in case she needed to take notes. She also clicked on the Internet browser, logging onto her account again to reply to Olaf's previous email. Elsa took another glance at the professor, making sure that he hasn't started the lecture just yet. When she was in the clear, she started to compose her reply to her friend.

Dory started to chortle in the back that caused a couple of students to turn their heads questioningly to her direction to see what was going on. Marlin was trying desperately to shush her, his arms flailing in front of her face in attempt to stop her sudden outburst. "Sorry!" Dory yelped, her laughter stopping abruptly. Finding nothing funny in particular, the curious bystanders turned their attention back to their professor who was oblivious to what just happened as he continued to write on the board.

Elsa was too engrossed and focused on her laptop that she didn't pay attention to the sudden distraction or notice the door fly open as a tardy student passed her by, hurried footsteps making their way to the middle row to an empty seat next to a blonde girl whose eyes were glued on her laptop, browsing the shoes section of the Saks Fifth Avenue website.

_I would text you right now, but I'm in class. But I have great news! _Elsa pressed each key slowly to avoid the clacking sound her keyboard made whenever she typed fast.

A satisfied half grin crossed the platinum blonde's lips, the feeling of gratitude returning to her again as she remembered Vanellope and what she has done to make her time with Olaf longer. _I'm totally taking her on a shopping spree. _She stopped typing for a moment when the word "shopping" suddenly reminded her of freckles, coffee-soaked shoes and ocean green eyes. Her mind wandered back to the flustered girl whom she crashed into a few days ago as she remembered seeing white running shoes saturated in brown liquid. _I wonder if she bought new sneakers..._

_Anna Fjell-something. What was her last name again?_

Shaking her head to rid herself of her trail of thoughts, she then turned her gaze to the professor just in time for him to turn around and face the class. "Good morning, everyone." Professor John Lasseter said with a warm smile painted on his face. He clapped his hands together to rid them of chalk marks before raising a finger to push his glasses up his nose to a more comfortable position. Elsa acknowledged the professor by smiling at his direction. She then continued typing her message, this time in a hurry so she can give him her attention.

_Vanellope cleared my schedule for next week. We'll have more time together!_

"Today, we will be discussing a young adult novel by an author named John Green." A student screamed a fervent "Yes!" upon hearing the professor's words.

"I know it sounds so easy and it may not seem very college material," Professor Lasseter chuckled, raising a hand signaling the students to refrain from speaking. "We will be exploring mainstream literature and how it is reaching younger and older demographics." He scratched his forearm and looked to the class. "You will write a paper about it. I want to see your writing style and how you formulate your thoughts." The professor quietly walked to the front of his desk and leaned against it, his arms folded and his legs crossed together.

_I have reservations to Ralph's Steakhouse. Actually, Vanellope was kind enough to make calls for me the last minute. The waiting list is crazy! If it weren't for her, we'd be waiting six months to get inside that place. I'm thinking of bringing her with us._ Elsa pursed her lips in hesitation._ Is that okay with you? _

"But as we progress, the books will get harder as you have seen on your syllabus. The writing assignments will also be harder. So why not start with something everyone seems to know about to get everyone started?" He quirked an eyebrow, asking no one in particular. "Now, I assume that you have read your assigned chapters for today's lecture. Who wants to go first and share his or her thoughts?" The professor scanned the room for any takers; he smiled encouragingly to urge the students to engage in conversation.

A boy from the back raised his hand and the professor pointed at him in acknowledgment, listening to his answer with beaming eyes. The rest of the class lazily sat back and watched the encounter between the professor and the eager student. Some began to surf the Internet and their Tumblrs with their laptops wide open. Dory and Marlin were playing Angry Birds with their phones hidden beneath their desks. Aurora had her head down, sleeping soundlessly behind Shang, who had a tall and bulky figure that acted as a shield to prevent her from being seen by the professor. It was early in the morning and no one seemed to be awake enough to participate.

"Fucking Wi-Fi is lagging again," Cindy murmured under her breath in frustration. "How the hell am I gonna order these shoes now?" She asked her laptop screen miserably, newly trimmed eyebrows notching in a frown. The girl beside her turned her head sideways to Cindy and leaned over hesitantly to take a look at the screen, her eyes flickering between the laptop and the professor to make sure they don't draw his attention.

"Have you tried refreshing the page?" The girl asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, many times." Cindy replied exasperatedly while opening another tab. "Thanks, though." She gave the girl a small smile and continued to look through the Saks Fifth website while using another browser. The girl smiled tentatively and returned her focus back to the professor who was discussing Pug and Alaska's relationship with another student.

Elsa decided that this was not a topic that she wanted to engage in since she read "Looking For Alaska" a dozen times already. She found the book to be a light read, and she was relieved since she knew the material well enough to take it easy and not stress over the paperwork and class discussion.

_Do you think you can bring me some krumkake? BETTER YET… we can make some! _She typed, excitement brewing inside her. Elsa was only giving half of her attention to the professor and the student who were talking, listening to tidbits of their discussion as she continued typing her message.

"Great answer, Felix." The professor praised the student for giving an eloquent response. "Now, who can tell me their first impression of Alaska?" Lasseter surveyed the room once again in anticipation when a timid hand shot up in the air from the middle row. "Ah, yes! Thank you!" He excitedly pointed at the student who volunteered to answer.

"But wait," Lasseter paused, a crease forming on his forehead. He walked closer to the center of the class to take a closer look at the girl who raised her hand. He squinted his eyes and adjusted his glasses with both hands. "Are you new in this class? I haven't seen you before." He inquired amusedly.

"Yes, I'm a transfer student. Today's my first day." The girl replied shyly; an angry shade of red dusted her cheeks as she shifted in her seat awkwardly. Students turned their heads to her direction, curious to see who the new girl was. _Shit, why did I have to raise my stupid hand? Now everyone's looking at me. _

Elsa was unfazed. She was in the middle of listing things she wanted Olaf to buy for her from Norway and couldn't be bothered by all the commotion. Intense blue eyes darted back and forth to the words written on her computer screen.

_Krumkake ingredients. Lutefisk (?). Melkesjokolade. Melkerule. Hmm…hva annet? Kanskje kjeks? What do you think?_

"What's your name, dear?" Lasseter stroked his chin wonder.

The girl gulped and shifted in her seat again. She tucked her hair behind her ear, the blush on her face increasing by the second. Professor Lasseter clasped his hands together, his full attention now focused on the girl. He nodded encouragingly for her to speak, the smile on his face wide and welcoming.

Another nervous gulp. "I'm Anna. Anna Fjellheim."

_Okay, I'm gonna end my e-mail here! I'll talk to you laterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr_

Elsa froze as her finger jammed hard at the 'R' key. She couldn't believe her ears. _Anna Fjellheim._

Yes, she heard her loud and clear. Loud enough for her to snap her neck backwards and spot the redhead immediately amidst the students separating them. There she was, a row away from her, wearing a plain red shirt that matched her equally red face. A sharp gasp escaped Elsa's throat as her jaw dropped in utter disbelief, her breath hitching when Anna caught her staring at her with eyes widened like they have seen a ghost. Shocked blue eyes were met by ocean green eyes who were as big as plates. Anna's eyebrows shot up to her hairline, an enormous "O" forming on her mouth. She immediately recognized Elsa, those platinum blonde locks and those disarming blue eyes. Anna felt the blood drain from her face and the sudden quickening of her pulse.

There was a shared silence between Anna and Elsa as they registered each other's faces. The students around them took one look at Anna and went back to whatever it was that they were doing prior to checking out the new student. But it took more than one look for Elsa. The blonde felt her face grow hot; she clutched her chest and felt the rapid beating of her heart. She abruptly turned her head back to the front of the room, the blush on her face increasing in color and temperature.

Anna clamped her mouth shut and diverted her gaze back to the professor who was oblivious of her encounter with Elsa. Her throat was suddenly dry; she swallowed hard, still speechless from her recent revelation. _Is this really happening right now?_

_I am in Elsa Arendelle's class. Elsa. That girl from the park. Gorgeous Elsa. Elsa freaking Arendelle. _

Lasseter was leaning on his desk, scribbling Anna's name on his attendance sheet. He looked up and smiled at the redhead.

"Welcome to Honors English class, Miss Fjellheim."


	6. Blueprint

**A/N: **Okay so, 102 followers? WOW. JUST. WOW. Thank you. I mean, really. I'm utterly flattered and humbled and it's not something that I have ever dared to imagine—people actually checking this story out. I'm glad that you guys are enjoying this little adventure. This is my first fanfic ever and I'm not really a writer. I'm just expressing my intense love for Elsanna because this duo is just so absolutely perfect and beautiful. Thank you for the "likes" and the "reviews," and even if you don't "follow" the story and you're just passing by, I'm still super stoked and super grateful that you're here looking at this. Once again, thank you.

* * *

_Skipping beats, blushing cheeks...I am struggling_  
_Daydreaming, bed scenes in the corner café_  
_And then I'm left in bits, recovering tectonic tremblings_  
_You get me every time_

_Why d'ya have to be so cute?_  
_It's impossible to ignore you.._

**Now Playing: Imogen Heap / Say Goodnight And Go**

* * *

Anna was restless and could barely focus during class lecture. She kept fidgeting in her seat, her eyes unfocused and bouncing back and forth to the professor and the crown of platinum blonde hair belonging to a girl that sat with perfect posture a few seats away from her. Elsa Arendelle was indeed in her class, breathing the same air she was breathing in the same room. This reality engulfed her with an unexpected and overwhelming feeling of nervousness that was tinged with unexplainable and mellow excitement. The moment those icy blue eyes recognized her, she felt something strange stir within her that she could not put into words.

_Do I say hello?_

Professor Lasseter droned on with his lecture about Alaska Young and Miles Halter, blind and unaware of Anna's internal battle and monologue. The redhead shook her head in an attempt to discard her distracting thoughts so she can pay attention in class. She pulled out a pen from her shirt pocket and wrote her name on her loose leaf notebook, suddenly pausing in the middle of writing today's date as she noticed a strand of red thread dangling around the pen. Careful fingers lifted the piece of string as curious teal eyes wondered where it came from.

_Oh. It's probably from my shirt. Wait, wasn't Elsa wearing red that day we met?_

She peeled her eyes from her notebook and rested them on the back of Elsa's head once again.

_Is her hair always this perfect?_

_Okay, I'm gonna go say "hello" after class. _

Twenty minutes had gone by and the professor gave his last remarks before ending the lecture. The sound of students standing up from their seats and moving around to gather their things filled the room before they streamed through the main entrance to make their exit. Anna was already standing up, her book bag already slung over her shoulder. She was gripping the strap tightly, sweat seeping through the cotton material that encompassed the bag. She looked over at Elsa and saw the blonde stand up and scoop a handful of textbooks over her chest as Professor Lasseter approached her.

Step.

_I'm gonna say "hi" after they're done chatting._

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Elsa laugh at something the professor said, the corner of her eyes crinkling and her nose scrunching up in a way that made Anna tense up as if she was electrocuted, the sudden halt in the rhythmic movement of her heart causing it to miss a beat. A sudden rush of red coated her cheeks, melting away whatever courage she has summoned to help her with what she was about to do.

_Okay, here goes nothing._

Anna hoisted her bag as she descended down the steps, ducking her head down deliberately as she bolted out the door as if the classroom was suddenly set on fire.

_Screw this._

The building had a plethora of students purposely finding their way to their next classes, some walked alone while others walked in groups and chattered amongst themselves. Anna was speed walking, aimlessly threading her way through the hallway without a clue as to where she was going. She glanced to her side and didn't notice the massive figure walking towards her. Anna yelped, suddenly finding herself wrapped around Kristoff's huge arms.

"Damn it, Kristoff!" Anna gasped, a hand flew over her chest to stop her heart from jumping out of her ribcage.

Kristoff chuckled, releasing her from his grip. "Whoa there, feisty pants. Crashing into people is really an expertise of yours, I see."

Anna stared at him. "This is all your fault," the redhead pounded his chest with tightly balled fists, the flush on her face returning. "You jinxed me. _Elsa Arendelle is in my class!_" Anna screeched unattractively.

"Wait, what?" Kristoff had his hands up defensively, backing away to avoid Anna's punches. "Hold up, are you serious?" He asked incredulously, his eyebrows mashing together.

"Yes! She's in my English class. It's her." Anna said exasperatedly, her hands uncoiling, realizing that her blows did nothing to harm Kristoff in any way. At all. She stepped back to look at her friend helplessly while tapping her knuckles together.

Kristoff could not believe his ears; a small grin crept to his face that slowly grew into a cheek-splitting smile. The blonde boy rested his hands on his hips, tilting his head to the side, amused by Anna's strange uneasiness. "Well, did you come up to her? I'm sure she would be so pleased to…bump into you again." He bit the tip of his tongue to prevent the downpour of laughter that was ready to burst out of his mouth.

"No," Anna deadpanned, resisting the urge to punch him in the face instead. "She did see me but…I ran away. There's just something about her and it's just _hard_ to come up to her. I don't know why." She trailed off, her eyes falling to her side.

"You _ran _away?" Kristoff laughed, much to Anna's dismay. He threw his head back just in time to spot a figure over Anna's shoulder causing him to quickly halt his banter. The blonde boy gulped nervously. "Anna?" he asked in a hushed voice. Anna raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What? What's the matter?"

"Did Elsa wear her hair in a braid today?"

"Yeah, why?"

Kristoff's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, his eyes widening like saucers. "Does she have uhm…blue eyes?"

Anna's forehead creased deeply, wondering if she has told Kristoff that much detail about Elsa's appearance.

"Yeah, why?"

"Is she tall and pale and…incredibly attractive?"

"Yeah…_why? _Kristoff blushed as he cleared his throat, his gaze still hanging over Anna's shoulder.

"I have stuff to do. Gotta go. Bye." Kristoff muttered as he briskly walked away and made a turn at the corner, leaving Anna dumbfounded and furiously calling after him.

"Just so you know, you can't run away this time!" He heard Kristoff shout back before laughing uproariously as he faded away.

_Wait, what?_

"Kristoff Bjorgman, I am Anna Fjellheim and you can't just walk away from me like that! That is so _rude_, where do you think you're go—"

"Hi."

A soft and gentle voice coming from behind interrupted her unladylike ranting. A new understanding dawned on the redhead as her eyes slowly grew wider; finally understanding why Kristoff left with a sly grin on his stupid face. Her mouth moved uselessly, unable to form words after registering what her current predicament could be. Blood roared in Anna's ears, causing them to turn crimson red as her heart started to beat against her chest like it was attempting to escape. She bit her lower lip, gripping the strap of her bag as she slowly turned around to the source of the faint greeting.

Anna found herself face to face with Elsa Arendelle.

_Just so you know, you can't run away this time!_

The blonde was dressed in a navy blue business suit, exquisitely custom design to complement her features. Black five-inch heels graced her feet, making her tower over Anna. Elsa had her hair down in a single braid that rested over her shoulder, the tip of it resembling a paintbrush; her pale cheeks were painted with a soft glow of red. Icy blue eyes stood stark in contrast to the white-painted walls surrounding them; they shone brightly like orbs illuminating darken skies.

The shorter girl did everything in her power to stop her jaw from dropping. Anna paused, hoping to sound intelligible before attempting to open her mouth to say something but failed miserably in the process.

"H-hi! Hi me? Oh. Hi, Elsa!" Anna blurted out in an unusually high-pitched voice.

_Fuck. My. Life._

"You remember my name?" Surprised flashed through Elsa's face, causing Anna to shove her hands in her pockets, her hands balling into fists inside them.

"Of course I remember you! And your name. It's a unique name. A very _gorgeous_ name." Anna exclaimed, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment at her poor choice of words. "Thank you," Elsa smiled shyly, the tinge of red on her face darkening. She drew in a breath as she clutched her books tighter against her chest, wishing she had placed them inside her book bag so she can fold her hands together like she always did when talking to people. Many years of public speaking lessons did not easily sever her reticent and self-conscious mannerisms. Elsa has always been soft-spoken and fidgety around people. She was used to being flustered by others, not the other way around. Even so, she still found herself a bit anxious.

But here was Anna Fjellheim, red as a beet and rocking back on her heels. Anna Fjellheim who said her name was gorgeous. Anna Fjellheim who crossed her mind everyday since that day they've met in the park. Awkward, antsy, teal-eyed, freckled-face Anna Fjellheim.

"So…you're new to the school?" Elsa took a step back after realizing how close they were. Anna followed her lead by shifting her body away a few inches to increase their distance.

"Yeah! I'm originally from Weselton University in the Southern Isles. But that school wasn't really my first choice and North Mountain is. I got the call a few weeks back saying that they have a spot for me here since some student dropped out the last minute. So, I packed my stuff and I left. My new apartment is only a few minutes away from here and—" Anna trailed off, realizing that she was rambling and was giving way too much irrelevant information to a simple question. Elsa could care less about her life story and she probably thought that she was a weirdo_. Way to go, motor mouth. _

"Sorry, didn't mean to ramble. But small world, eh? Heh." Anna murmured, heat and color reappearing on her face once again. She dropped her eyes to her shoes and adjusted her book bag over her shoulder, hesitant to speak another word in fear of going off in a tangent again.

Elsa shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her fingers gently tapping the back of her textbook that she was hugging tightly.

"Yeah…small world_." A very small, unexpected, whimsical world indeed. _

"Do you like it here so far?" Elsa asked tentatively to lighten the atmosphere. Something she was not used to doing or initiating.

"Y-yeah!" Anna blurted, surprised that Elsa was still talking to her. "Well, English was my first class, but I like the campus so far."

_English class…where we totally saw each other and I totally dodged you._

She held back a flinch as she remembered how idiotic she was from running away from what seemed to be a really nice person. Elsa probably remembered it too, seeing her and being so caught off guard, because they stood there for what seemed like minutes and just stared at each other.

Anna's pulse vibrated within her ears._ Why do I find her so intimidating? She seems apprehensive, too…_

Elsa was the one who broke eye contact first. She lowered her eyes to her books, a light frown staining her features.

"I'm sorry to cut this conversation short, but…I have to get to class."

"C-class? Right! I have to do that too." Anna forced a nervous laughter as she ran a hand over her hair. She then pulled out a sheet of paper from her back pocket and clumsily unfolded it. Teal eyes scrutinized the campus map as Elsa watched her wordlessly, wondering what she was doing.

"Uhm, Elsa…do you know where Room A113 is? This map is confusing."

"What? Oh." Elsa realized what Anna was looking at and she moved closer to her side to peak through the paper, leaving just enough gap in between them for personal space.

"Let's see," Elsa said clinically while surveying the map. "You have to get outside of this building and head inside the Fredriksen Architectural Hall and make your way to the third floor. You're gonna see the statues of two elderly couple holding balloons and that's when you know you're in the right place. Wait, you're an architecture major?" Elsa turned her head to the side to face Anna, momentarily forgetting her tact as she asked her colloquially with genuine curiosity attached to her voice.

"Yeah, I want to design skyscrapers someday." Anna looked at Elsa. "Well, that's the goal. My mom and dad are really happy that I'm doing what I want." She said gratefully, taking a mental note to call her parents later to see how they were doing,

"I see." Elsa replied quietly, her voice and her eyes suddenly distant. "It must be nice doing something that you love."

"What about you? What are you studying?" Anna asked in return.

"Pre-med."

Anna registered the sudden change in Elsa's demeanor, but it disappeared just as fast at it came. She had wanted to ask more but opted against it, seeing as to how close-ended Elsa's answer was. Before she can recalculate her thoughts, the blonde shuffled her books, ready to walk away and head to class.

"It was nice seeing you again, Anna." Elsa switched back to being formal and cautious, making Anna wonder if she had said something to slight the girl. But before Anna can silently start chastising herself, Elsa gave her a small smile.

"I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow?" The blonde said, blue eyes zeroing in on Anna's face, knocking the air out of her. The startled redhead started to blush profusely again, much to her chagrin. _I will never get used to this at all. _Elsa's eyes slightly widened at the sight of Anna's crimson face, but she quickly rebounded, her fingernails digging through her textbook.

"Y-yeah! I'll see you!" Anna stammered. Elsa nodded before walking past her to make her way to the classroom that was located a few feet away from where they were standing. Once again, just like before, Anna watched her leave.

_3….2….1….breathe._

* * *

"Do you like fish and all other forms of sea and land creatures?"

"Uhm, yes, I do like the ocean and—"

"Are you an advocate of animal rights?"

"Of course! My best friend has a dog named Sven! I have one, too! His name is Dug but he's back in the Southern—"

"Do you like playing charades?"

"I guess so, I like playing games! It's one of my favo—"

"Are you my conscience?"

"Wait, _what_?"

"Dory!" Marlin snapped at the lanky girl whose arms were folded over her chest, scrutinizing a confused and nervous redhead sitting in front of them like a detective examining a suspicious fingerprint. "Don't scare her off. Stick with the basic questions." The boy with the bright orange fitted cap scolded his best friend while he pulled a chair from one of the desks to sit opposite of Anna.

"We're just messing with you, Anna." The boy chuckled lightly, a tiny smirk curling on his lips. "We usually come to class before everyone else does and I guess we just got carried away because someone new is here."

"Why do you guys come to class so early?" She started, feeling a little bit more comfortable after sensing that Dory and Marlin were simply trying to be friendly. She was actually thankful for being approached—though bombarded with eccentric questions—she wanted the company since the only person she knew in school so far were Kristoff and Elsa. Anna didn't think that the latter counted since they weren't exactly friends nor did she find herself as someone Elsa would acquaint herself with since she was just so awkward unlike the elegant, sophisticated, well-dressed, attract—

"Well, we like going to class early so we can have the best seats," Marlin pointed a finger to the back of the room. "Dory likes to nap sometimes and I need to play my games. Now, if you want to sit there with us, you have to come early, too. But bring your own entertainment." He said smugly as he looked around the room like a pirate overlooking the ocean while standing on the deck of his ship.

"You guys don't like this class?" Anna asked in a small voice, hoping she wouldn't offend the duo. She wrapped her hands around themselves anxiously somewhat expecting Marlin to scream at her.

"It's a pre-requisite for all honors students from all departments so we're pretty much forced to be here. It's our last year and we decided to take this class during our final semester because it's supposed to be the easiest." Marlin turned his cap around so the brim was facing the front, an image of the Australian flag sewn on it. "I think there are mostly seniors here. I don't really like this class. Dory and I just ask Elsa for help." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Oh yeah! Elsa!" Dory chimed in excitedly. "She usually comes to class really early, too. She's really nice but awfully shy." She scratched her head and flashed Anna a grin. "But she's good people! She'll be here in a few minutes!"

_Yeah, awfully shy._

"You know Elsa, right"? Marlin asked. "I saw you talking to her outside of class yesterday."

"E-Elsa?" Anna stammered, a blush forming on her cheeks. "We met already." She replied quickly, not wanting to get into the details as to how she met the blonde unconventionally and in the most awkward way possible. Anna blanched at the memory, refraining from telling Marlin and Dory about their first _and_ second encounter.

"Oh, cool."

"That's awesome."

Anna was relieved that they didn't ask any more questions and took no notice of her suddenly flushed face. "So anyway, Dory and I could care less about this class and Elsa fills us in with her detailed review notes." The redhead started to frown, uneasy with how she wanted to proceed with the conversation. "Don't think we're taking advantage of her!" Dory exclaimed, sensing Anna's hesitation. "We give her something back in return."

"It's a trade system that we proposed to her when Dory and I realized that we were not going to pay that much attention here. We've been doing it since last semester." Marlin raised an eyebrow haughtily; his brunette locks sweeping his forehead.

"A trade system?" Anna asked, growing more confused.

"She gives us her notes and we lend her video games in return." Marlin said casually, as if what he just said made perfect sense and needed no further explanation.

"_Video games_?" Anna was having a hard time processing this information. The blonde didn't strike her as someone who sat idly on the couch on a lazy Saturday afternoon, screaming at characters on the television screen while pounding her fingers aggressively on a controller. But then again, she knew so little about Elsa.

She knew nothing about Elsa at all.

_Does she play The Last Of Us? Resident Evil? Grand Theft Auto? Uncharted?...Call of Duty?_

"Oh no, not those kind of video games." Dora waved a hand dismissively as if reading Anna's thoughts. "She only plays _The Sims_. You know, the one where you build houses and create your own family to play god something."

Anna was familiar with the franchise but it didn't really pique her interest since she was more adept in playing survival horror games. But she knew there were no violence and gore involved in The Sims and it seemed to be more fitting to the likes of Elsa.

"She's really into architecture stuff. I've seen some of the things she drew last semester and boy, she's really good. I used to sit next to her in Anatomy and Physiology II and I'd watch her draw pretty houses during our boring lectures." Dory exclaimed in awe and admiration. "So I thought, 'Hey, The Sims would be perfect for her to just tinker with and create stuff!' Marlin, remember that ice palace sketch she made that time we were waiting for Professor DunBroch?"

"Ah, Elinor DunBroch," Marlin said with disdain in his voice. "That lady gave me such a hard time with attendance. Who the hell would be on time at seven forty-five in the morning on a Monday? And Tuesday? And Wednesday? I understand ten o'clock like right now in this class. But seven forty-five" He asked bitterly. "I remember that day. I think Merida punched someone in the face and she had to go do damage control since her daughter goes to this school." Anna and Dory looked at each other, not really knowing how to respond.

"But yes, I did see that ice palace drawing." Marlin continued when the two girls didn't comment. "Elsa makes some really cool shit and she doesn't really like showing it to people. Which reminds me, I have to give her something." He shrugged, pulling his cellphone from his pocket to check the time.

There was a comfortable silence shared between the three as they all settled down in the back of the class. Anna had originally planned on sitting in the middle row like she did last time, but Dory and Marlin invited her to sit with them instead which she gladly obliged to. She had come to class early because she didn't want to be late again and have the professor think she was irresponsible and disinterested in being in his lectures.

Although Dory and Marlin claimed to be obligated to be in this class, at least they showed up early and had someone give them notes whenever they decided to sleep or not show up at all. Being an "A" student in her previous college and a candidate for the honors society, Anna, who was a sophomore, was mandated to take an English Honors session anytime inside her remaining two years in North Mountain University as a school requirement. Unlike Dory, Marlin, and Elsa who were seniors and opted to fulfill this course in their final semester, Anna had decided to do it now so she can focus more on her other major-related courses later on.

The three chatted about random stuff within the twenty minutes that they were alone. Marlin and Dory asked about Anna and the Southern Isles and why she had decided to transfer here. Marlin told her about her twin brother, Nemo, who was away in Australia to study Ocean Exploration and that he missed him very much and couldn't wait to see him in a few months. Dory mentioned the new song that she had just finished writing called "Just Keep Swimming" and that she would gladly let Anna hear it. Anna grew more comfortable as she smiled and laughed with the two whom she found to be really delightful and welcoming people. But during their conversation, she found herself occasionally glancing at door to check if Elsa already arrived, but the blonde was not present.

When Dory and Marlin found themselves in the middle of a heated argument about their Animal Avengers club and some policy that was supposedly breached by one of their members, Anna tuned them out and sat quietly while watching the classroom main entrance. She blew on her fringe, teal eyes lazily tracing the pattern of the lacquered wood that made the door. _Where is she? _She allowed her thoughts to wander off to Elsa and how she looked when she saw her in class; those big blue eyes and the way her mouth was parted in surprise. She wondered why she was a pre-med major when Dory and Marlin said she was exceptionally good at drawing and showed extreme talent in design.

_I wonder if drawing is one of her hobbies?_

The main door entrance creaked open, disrupting Anna's thoughts when the object of her musings made its way to the classroom. Teal eyes that were fixated on the door followed the crown of platinum blonde that made its way to the front aisle. Elsa automatically looked to the back of the room, expecting Marlin and Dory to be there and was taken aback when she saw Anna sitting with them. She gave a small wave to the group, hesitating whether she should sit down or approach them. Marlin was already on his feet, walking to where Elsa was while leaving Dory and a blushing redhead behind.

"Hi, Elsa!" Dory yelled from the back of the room. Elsa smiled at her and waved back, catching a glimpse of Anna.

"Elsa! Glad you're here! You've met Anna, right?" Marlin asked, an easy smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Elsa looked over her shoulder and caught Anna staring at her. When Anna met those blue eyes, she shrunk in her seat in an attempt to hide from being caught red-handed. But realizing that the ground won't be open any time soon to swallow her whole, Anna smiled awkwardly and gave Elsa a small wave, which the blonde returned tentatively.

"Yes, we met already. How are you today, Marlin?" Elsa turned her face back to Marlin and smiled at him politely. She placed her book bag down on her desk, the heavy books it contained making a soft "thud" sound after meeting the wooden surface.

"Good, good. I have something for you. Forgot to give it the other day." The boy grinned sheepishly. "Dory! Anna! Come down here for a sec, will ya? And can one of you please grab my bag?"

"You have something for me?" Elsa asked with her hands clasped in front of her, her head tilting to the side. Dory and Anna made their way down from the back; Anna was clutching Marlin's book bag like she was hanging onto dear life all the while avoiding eye contact with the blue-eyed girl. The two stood beside Marlin who sat relaxed on the desk next to Elsa's. Anna gave him his bag and he unzipped it to retrieve a small box wrapped in a plastic film that had "The Sims City" written on it with colorful pictures of animated buildings and cars drawn all over.

"Dory and I traded some of our old games for this so you can go check it out." He handed the box to Elsa and the blonde took it gingerly, her eyes widening and a huge grin erupting from her face. "Are you guys sure? This is too much!" Elsa said breathlessly, her fingers tracing the outline of the drawings. "Don't be silly, Arendelle. Take it. It's yours." Marlin clicked his tongue, a soft chuckle escaping his lips when he saw how happy Elsa was. "They have new features and I can't wait for you to see it!" Dory blurted out excitedly.

Anna was silently watching the interaction between the three and took notice of how different Elsa looked when she smiled in genuine delight, not reserved and stiff like she did when they met. Cerulean orbs sparkled and shone brighter; she looked absolutely ethereal, so childlike and utterly captivating. Her eyes wandered around Elsa's face, stealing furtive glances while she can since she was still talking to Marlin_. _

_She's so beautiful. She should smile like that more often._

"I don't know what to say. Thank you so much, I will repay you and—"

"Elsa. Stooooop." Dory groaned.

"Arendelle, zip it." Marlin said in a low voice.

"Okay, I'm sorry. It's just that you guys are so nice to me and I want to—"

"I have an idea!" Dory suddenly yelped, causing the three to jump in surprise. "Since Anna's new and she's gonna be coming to class early from now on," She smiled brightly and winked at the redhead beside her as if they shared a secret. Anna smiled back, confused. _Wait. Does she expect me to come to class "early from now on?" This is a one-time thing! I can't wake up this early all the time! Is this a "thing" now? Mornings aren't exact—_

"The _four_ of us should have breakfast this week. It's a nice change of view and it's not like we do anything productive while waiting for class to start. Well, maybe except you." She pointed a finger at Elsa. "But when was the last time you've hung out with us, Arendelle?" Dory drew her eyebrows together, feigning a stern and accusing expression.

"Yeaaaaaah," Marlin agreed, imitating Dory's accusatory stance. "You never hang out with us anymore. The last time we went out was last semester and you always had to leave early. I won't take "no" as an answer this time." He pouted and stubbornly folded his arms across his chest.

"Elsa, you're not even in med school yet and you're already so busy. I know you have responsibilities outside of campus, but it's nice to just relax for a bit." Dory said while touching Elsa's arm. "Besides, we miss you."

As if suddenly realizing that Anna was with them, Marlin jumped from the desk he was sitting on and pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "And look, Anna's coming with us. Right Anna? Right." The redhead let out a small squeak and stiffened at Marlin's touch, growing increasingly flustered by being a few inches away from Elsa.

Elsa and Anna exchanged glances. The expression on Elsa's face was unreadable as she studied the girl whose gaze met hers.

_She sure does have a lot of freckles…_

"Uhm—" Anna dropped her eyes to the floor and started to wring her hands as heat began to blossom on her face. "You should come with us, Elsa. It'll be fun." She mumbled. Anna dared to look up and was met by a different girl. The expressionless pale-skinned blonde suddenly switched to a deer caught in headlights with a face as red as a rose. Dory and Marlin watched the whole thing unwind before them and they gave each other a knowing look. Dory wiggled her eyebrows while Marlin smirked deviously, his eyes roving back and forth to Elsa and Anna.

"Come on, Elsa. You can go pick the place." Marlin interjected, breaking the tension between the two.

Elsa pulled her lower lip in between her teeth, a frown creasing her forehead. Dory and Marlin looked at her expectantly, puppy eyes and all while Anna had her hands in her pockets, rocking back on her heels, her eyes resting on Marlin's bag.

"I don't really know where to go," Elsa said guiltily. "I'm mostly at my dad's work place or in…the library. I don't really go out much." She looked away to hide the reemerging blush on her face. _Well, I do go to therapy, too. They probably think I'm a loser. _

Anna noticed the slight hitch in Elsa's voice and turned her eyes back at her. "We can go to your favorite place," She hesitated at first but then continued on. "Where do you like to go when you want to escape or just chill out?" Elsa stared at Anna, not expecting the girl to speak up. The redhead was smiling encouragingly, ocean-green eyes boring into hers without any more hint of nervousness. "It doesn't have to be something fancy. Just somewhere that makes you feel comfortable." Anna said gently.

Elsa contemplated her question. _Are her eyes usually this bright?  
_

"Well, I do like going to this coffee shop outside of campus." Elsa's face started to light up upon remembering her favorite place and her favorite barista. "But it might look old and boring to you guys. There aren't a lot of people who know about it since it's far from here, but the coffee is amazing. We can always go to another place if you—"

"Elsa, it sounds wonderful. I can't wait to see it." A hopeful smile parted Anna's cheeks apart as the blonde stared at her incredulously.

"Y-you really wanna go there?" Elsa asked, unable to hide the uncertainty in her voice. "It might not look much but—"

"But we're going. And it's gonna be fun. And we'll love it." Marlin offered as he grabbed 'The Sims City' from Elsa's desk to hold it in front of her face. "But before that, promise me you'll check this out tonight and send me pictures of what you're building."

"Yeah! Send it to me, too!" Dory added, pushing her glasses up her nose bridge.

Elsa tucked a strand of her locks behind her ear, a shadow of pink smudging her cheeks. She gave Marlin and Dory a chuckle and shifted her head to face Anna. The redhead did not blush copiously nor did she duck her head down to avoid Elsa's brilliant blue eyes.

If she had, she never would have seen Elsa Arendelle's lips curving upwards to show pearly white teeth accompanied by a disarming smile that can only belong to an angel or some celestial creature that is not of this world.

Anna looked at her like she was seeing the sun for the very first time: bright, beautiful, warm, and compelling.

_We'll go anywhere you want as long as you keep smiling like this._

* * *

Small but nimble hands made their finishing touches to the colossal wooden castle built from scratch without any supervision or written instructions. The structure was intricately crafted with every measurement, texture, and color chosen carefully to make it as realistic and as akin to a real castle as possible. No one would suspect this to be the work of a nine-year-old girl, whose knowledge in design and geometry showed more superiority and competence than most architecture students who were decades older than her.

Elsa Arendelle took a few steps backwards, shutting an eye while sticking a thumb out to use it as a measuring stick to make sure her castle's gates were opened in a way that she wanted them to: wide and welcoming for people to come in and out of. Convinced that she had done a good work, she smiled to herself and kissed the tip of her castle's center where a blue snowflake was carefully carved and painted.

"I hope Papa and Mama will like this." She whispered although she was by herself in her huge and lonely bedroom. "Papa will be the dashing king, Mama will be the kind and beautiful queen, and I will be the princess. It'll be nice, too, if I had a baby sister." The little girl sighed. "I'll always take care of her and we'll share one room so we can play all the time. We'll share one bike and we'll eat chocolate whenever we want to. She'll always have me. She'll never be alone." Elsa's lips started to wobble, sad blue eyes glistening with tears.

"When I grow up," Elsa said in a firm and clear voice. "I'm going to design houses for people and I'm gonna make sure that they're happy with where they're living."

"I wish I can be an architect someday." Elsa closed her eyes, hoping the heavens would hear her.


	7. Remedy

**A/N: **This is the shortest chapter I have written so far and I hope you don't mind because I'm posting the _next_ chapter in a few days that will continue the previous one. Just to let you know, we're not even in the crux of the story yet. We have a long, _long_ journey ahead of us, friends. Please bear with me.

* * *

_So I won't pretend to know if you share that pain where only yesterday remains_  
_But I can try to let go_  
_'Cuz I know what I'm not, I know we've hardly met_  
_But I can shield you from regrets_  
_So take it all, the best I've got_

**Now Playing: Wings / Alex Kaneko**

* * *

**Twenty seven months ago:**

He hated the smell of hospitals. The place reeked of antiseptic, soiled blankets, latex gloves, and death. But to him specifically, it was chlorine, detergent, and dirty mops. Kristoff Bjorgman had just finished his afternoon shift as a janitor in the Southern Isles Medical Center. The nineteen-year-old boy made his way to the hospital's cafeteria, his gait wobbly and unsteady due to exhaustion. He felt a nagging soreness in the soles of his feet from walking too much and his back was throbbing from pain from bending down to mop the floors. He just wanted to sit somewhere and finally eat his homemade sandwich. Looking around the room for a table, Kristoff was relieved upon seeing that the cafeteria was practically empty and only had a handful of people quietly eating their food.

And it was _clean_.

He had scraped every stain and dirt off the floors before his shift ended that's why he wasn't able to have lunch because he chose to spend extra minutes polishing the tiles of his assigned section; one of the five sections he was in charge of that day.

Underpaid and overworked, the teenager worked two jobs to help pay the bills and to save up for his college of choice. Currently studying in a community college in the town where he lived, Kristoff was discontented and aimed for higher education that best suited his passion in football and drawing. Though fortunate and smart enough to have landed a full scholarship in his current school, Kristoff made a decision to transfer to North Mountain University the following semester and was determined to do whatever it takes to get there and pay for his expenses even if it means scrubbing floors and working in the weekends as a driver delivering ice to various grocery stores and delis.

_Finally done. Now, it's time to devour this baby. _Kristoff plopped himself on a plastic chair and hurriedly opened his bag to snatch his neatly wrapped sandwich. The savory smell of ham and cheese made his mouth water as he hungrily eyed the squared beauty in his hands. His sandwich was inches away from being eaten when he heard the loud banging sound of a tray hitting the floor. Kristoff quirked an eyebrow; searching for the cause of disruption as his food hovered over his mouth.

He didn't notice her walk in the room.

And he could care less about who she was after seeing the mess she had made when she spilled a small container of chocolate pudding on his once spotless floor.

_Fuck. I just finished cleaning that. Were you raised in a barn? _He grumbled irritably, the grip on his sandwich tightening in obvious aggravation. Kristoff begrudgingly watched the girl attempt to clean up after herself by getting off her seat to bend down and wipe the pudding off the floor with a napkin in slow and clumsy movements. His temper was dissolving quickly and effortlessly the more he watched her.

_Goddamit. It's just pudding. Can't this girl do something so simple and so easy? I'm done for the day and I'm not about to—_

Kristoff's angry and soundless rants were cut short when he saw the girl collapse on the ground, her arms trembling as she tried to hoist herself up to a sitting position. He noticed the red signature Southern Isles client identification bracelet laced on her wrist and quickly realized that she was a patient in the hospital. The blond boy looked around the room, hoping that someone else saw the incident and if they were coming to her aid. But seeing that the occurrence was neglected and unseen by those around him, Kristoff's forehead started to crease in hesitation.

When he finally focused his gaze on the girl and took his attention away from the spilled pudding, the first thing he noticed was her bright teal eyes that almost made the dark circles under them obscure. The pallor of her skin was pasty white, showing signs of illness and lack of contact with the sun. Her twin braids rested on her shoulders, the bangs on her forehead swept to the side. Sunken cheeks protruded from her freckle-dotted face and her collarbone was visible under her baggy shirt that seemed to have enveloped her small form. There were bandages on the crook of her elbows to cover the scars of her recent needle insertions, tiny droplets of blood oozing over them.

She looked so frail and tired.

The girl let out a defeated whimper, her lips started to quiver and tears started to prickle her ocean green orbs as she failed to stand up. She then drew her knees to herself and sobbed.

Kristoff scanned the room one more time for any takers but saw none. He slowly put his sandwich down and sighed. He felt sorry for the girl and wondered why she was by herself. _Where are her parents?_ A frown formed on his face upon seeing her heaving sobs, her shoulders shaking as she tried to suppress her cries. The janitor nervously ran a hand through his hair, standing up to make her way to her.

_I just came here to eat my sandwich. _

"Uhm. Are you okay?" Kristoff cautiously stood over the girl, whose head was still buried over her knees, crying softly. He tried his best to ignore the pudding and the smeared napkin sitting limply next to her.

The girl looked up, tear-streaked eyes roving his face and then his uniform. She saw his name badge pinned on his shirt pocket that said "KRISTOFF" and the word "JANITOR" written under it. She bit her lip guiltily, a blush budding on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry I made a mess. I'm gonna clean it up…I didn't mean to trouble you." She said in an almost whisper, quickly wiping the tears off her face with her hands as she attempted to stand up but her lack of strength failed her once again, causing her to almost fall flat on her face.

"Whoa, there!" Kristoff's eye widened, instinct taking over as he reached out his arms to lift her up and assist her back to her chair. "Seriously, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you." The girl said breathlessly; sweat starting to form on her forehead from the sudden movement as she felt her heart rate speed up. "I just get tired easily and it can be frustrating. I'm so sorry."

Kristoff scratched the back of his neck, wondering if it was safe to leave the girl alone by herself. "Are you with someone?" He asked as he watched her breathe through her mouth.

"My parents are coming soon to pick me up." She looked up and gave him a weak smile, her hand clutching onto her chest to somehow calm her pounding heart. "I was gonna eat that but I guess that's not gonna work out." She chuckled wryly, her bloodshot eyes falling on the destroyed chocolate snack. "It was the only thing I brought for lunch."

He felt his chest tighten. Here she was, alone and weak with her only source of nutrition splattered on the floor. Judging from her appearance, she probably struggled walking here by herself. _How come the nurses didn't sit her on a wheelchair and walk her here? She could've hurt herself. And god, she's so skinny. _As if a light bulb suddenly turned on over his head, Kristoff snapped his head back to his table.

"Wait here."

"Wait, what?" The girl asked him confusedly.

"I'll be right back," Kristoff said over his shoulder as he started to walk away.

"Oh. Okay."

He returned with his uneaten sandwich in his hands and awkwardly presented it to the befuddled girl. She stared at him, trying to register what was happening while she tried to fight the discombobulated daze she was currently in due to the medication that she had just taken. She cast her eyes at Kristoff and then at the sandwich in his hands.

"Uhh…Okay?" She blinked once. Twice.

"You said you didn't have lunch yet, right? Here, take it. It's nothing fancy, but it's still something." _And it's better than that garbage you had._

"Oh. _Oh_." The girl's eyes widened with realization, flicking them at the boy in front of her and the food in his hands. "You're very kind, but I can't take that." She politely waved her hands in refusal.

"But you're hungry." Kristoff deadpanned, his hand still extended, waiting for her to take his offer. _I'm hungry, too. But you look so sick and you probably need this more than I do._

"But it's your food. My parents are coming soon anyway and—"

"Look, I saw you fall and I know you're starving. You already messed up the floor that I just cleaned so please just take the damn sandwich." The boy said indignantly, brown eyes wandering around the girl's face. _So many freckles. And her nose is so red. Don't yell at her, dumbass. She might cry again. _"Please, take it." He pushed the sandwich towards her, his face getting hotter just thinking about how ridiculous he sounded.

The girl was taken aback and looked at him warily. "If you insist. But I'm not eating the whole thing! We're gonna have to share."

"You're stubborn." Kristoff grumbled under his breath, taking a seat opposite to her.

"Excuse me?"

"N-nothing. Fine, we'll split the thing." He tore the sandwich in two and gave her the other half. "It's ham and cheese."

The girl eyed the sandwich and gingerly took a bite. "It's delicious," she said around her food as her face started to light up. After swallowing contentedly, she dusted the crumbs that fell on her jeans. "What's your name?"

Kristoff raised and eyebrow and pointed at his name badge.

"Oh, right. Sorry." The girl replied sheepishly, lightly smacking her forehead with her palm, and then wincing from bending her arm where bandages were attached.

Kristoff couldn't help but grin. "What's yours?" he asked.

"I'm Anna," she said before taking another bite, her voice still sounding nasally from crying. "Thanks for the sandwich." Anna attempted a smile while chewing on her food, her cheeks puffing out like balloons.

The boy laughed in spite of himself. He then suddenly remembered why Anna was in the hospital. "So you're a patient here?" He asked quietly, motioning to her identification bracelet. Anna followed his gaze and raised her wrist. "Oh, this? Well, not really. I'm only here twice a week for therapy. I only have six sessions left." She said while smiling at him again.

"Therapy? I didn't know we had a psych section here." Kristoff mumbled, scratching his head and trying to remember if he had been assigned to clean that department before and had forgotten all about it.

"No, not that kind of therapy," Anna chuckled dryly. "_Chemo_therapy."

Kristoff whipped his head to Anna, squarely looking at her right in the face but unable to form a response. He opened his mouth but no words would come out. _Chemotherapy? She looks no older than sixteen. What the heck? _

"Oh." He finally managed to say, his gaze falling to his hands that were resting on his knees, holding his uneaten sandwich.

"It's not a big deal. Like I said, I only have a few sessions left and the doctors are very optimistic about my progress. The dosages are very low." Anna replied cheerfully, as if attempting to calm the boy's uneasiness. "And look, my hair grew back!" She said cheerfully while pointing at her head, an easy grin outlining her face.

_How did she quickly switch from damsel in distress to happy-go-lucky especially with what she's going through?_

He forced a smile, not wanting to upset the girl anymore since she had just stopped crying, he decided not to dwell on the subject. "So uh…you said you're here twice a week?"

"Yeah."

"Which days?" Kristoff asked, suddenly not hungry anymore.

"Tuesdays with Dr. Sullivan and Thursdays with Dr. Wazowski."

Kristoff looked to his side and saw the abominable pudding staring right back at him. _Geez, how the hell can she eat that crap?_ He turned his glance back at Anna, who was concentrating on munching her sandwich. _She probably didn't have the time or energy to eat a proper meal before coming here._

"Do you like pancakes?" Kristoff asked, surprised by his sudden randomness.

"Pancakes?" Anna shot Kristoff a curious look. "Duh. Pancakes should be on top of the food chain, in my opinion. Why?"

"I make the best pancakes in town." The blond replied confidently, feeling relieved by Anna's positive answer.

"Oh, is that so?" Anna quirked an eyebrow while her lips curled into a shy yet playful smirk.

"Yeah, meet me here next Thursday and I'll prove it to you." He blurted. _Wait, what the hell am I doing? That's weird. We don't even know each other. She probably thinks I'm a creeper. __You can't make pancakes for someone you just met!_

Anna stared at Kristoff wordlessly, the expression on her face blank. Before he can take his words back and play it off as something stupid and idiotic, Anna's eyes widened and the edges of her lips were being pulled upwards to a gigantic grin.

"You're gonna make me pancakes?" The redhead gasped as if she had been told that she had just won a million dollars. Kristoff was caught by surprise once again and couldn't help but beam at her, his eyes softening at the girl's delighted reaction.

"Yeah, I'll make you pancakes if you like." He said. _Okay, so she doesn't think I'm a psycho. _"Just…be here, okay?"

Anna smiled at him radiantly; one that quelled her crestfallen face that was stained with tears just a few minutes ago. "Alright. I'll be here." She then bit her sandwich and grimaced.

"What's wrong?" Kristoff asked after seeing the sudden change in Anna's expression.

"I didn't realize that there was a pickle in here," she gently spat the unwanted ingredient on a piece of napkin and shrugged at Kristoff apologetically. "Sorry, I just don't like pickles. But this tastes marvelous nonetheless," she said while raising the sandwich for emphasis.

"My bad. Don't worry, there's only one in there." Kristoff said with slight worry. "Here, take mine. I didn't bite it yet."

"Wait, what? No. It's totally fine! It's gone. See?" The redhead pointed at the crumpled napkin. "I'm fine with this. Don't worry about me."

"Listen, if you don't take it, I won't make you pancakes."

Anna looked at Kristoff for a good few seconds before pouting and jutting her lower lip out. "Fine. Give me." Anna rolled her eyes and extended her hand reluctantly as Kristoff placed his portion atop of it. Before she can protest, Kristoff snatched her pickle-contaminated share and took a large bite off it, a triumphant half-grin etched on the corner of his lips.

Anna cringed._ Maybe he doesn't have a thing about germs? _

"I guess we'll finish each other's sandwiches." Anna sighed before shooting Kristoff a faint yet thankful smile.


	8. Fangirl

**A/N:** I'd like to formally apologize for everything I've written in this chapter and for every moment after.

* * *

_But you can skyrocket away from me,_  
_And never come back if you find another galaxy _  
_Far from here with more room to fly _  
_Just leave me your stardust to remember you by _

_If you'll be my boat, I__'ll be your sea _  
_A depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity _  
_Ebbing and flowing, a__nd pushed by a breeze _  
_I live to make you free, __I live to make you free _

**Now Playing: Gregory and The Hawk / Boats and Birds**

* * *

A look of surprise flashed across Mr. Maurice's face when he saw a familiar figure stumble into his shop with three other people. It was Friday morning and he had just finished brewing the first pot of coffee for the day. The smell of freshly baked croissants wafted through the air, luring the four students into the center of the room. Mr. Maurice watched his guests marvel at the scent of newly baked goods before breaking into a pleased grin.

"Good morning, Elsa," Mr. Maurice greeted the blonde while acknowledging the people she was with by smiling at them. "What brings you here so early?" he asked while stepping off the register.

"Hello, Mr. Maurice," she returned the smile politely, her hands folded in front of her. "We don't have classes until noon so we thought it was best to have breakfast here." Elsa tucked her hair behind her ear before clearing her throat. "We're all in the same class," she said quietly, motioning to the three people behind her who were surveying the place like it was a museum before turning around after hearing her voice.

_Elsa brought friends? _Mr. Maurice tried to hide the hint of amusement in his smile. Who could blame the man for being delighted? The girl showed up to his shop every week without anyone and kept to herself. The only company Elsa would bring with her was these stacks of books she pored through nonstop. "_She would get along with my Belle…with all that love for books and all,"_ he thought pleasantly. He did remember Elsa bringing a friend, a long time ago, a handsome young man with auburn hair and sideburns. Both of them had left the shop unannounced and he was never to be seen again.

"I'm Marlin!" the brunette flashed Mr. Maurice a cheeky grin and extended his hand.

"Hi, I'm Dory!" the tall girl chirped while grabbing the shop owner's _other_ hand and shook it excitedly.

Mr. Maurice laughed, his voice echoing through the shop. "Lucky for you, I have two hands. Nice to meet you, Marlin and Dory."

"Hello, I-I'm Anna," the redhead scurried timidly beside Dory and gave Mr. Maurice a small wave, her lips curling into a shy smile. "This place looks amazing," she blurted, a rush of red creeping from her chest up to her cheeks. She winced at her sudden outburst, the top of her ears burning with embarrassment.

The shop owner chuckled. "Thank you, dear. Welcome to my humble abode," he said proudly while ushering the group to a table nearby. "Now, I'll leave you guys alone for a few minutes so you can look through the menu. You guys are my first customers so you get all the good stuff. I'll be right back," he assured his guests before walking away.

Marlin and Dory sat across from each other, leaving Elsa and Anna awkwardly standing in front of them.

Dory raised an eyebrow and her eyes moved back and forth between the two. "Are you two gonna sit down or what?"

Anna swallowed hard and took a deep breath before scooting next to Dory. She tried her best to be just as casual and graceful as the girl in front of her who sat down and gave her a small, close-mouthed smile. Their eyes met for a brief moment until Marlin asked Elsa a question, making the blonde turn her head away from Anna. While Marlin and Elsa discussed which food and beverage to order, Dory was on her phone taking pictures of the paintings plastered on the wall beside her. Anna observed the windowpanes across the room where the sun cast its morning light through the shop.

And ever so carefully, she dared to look at Elsa. The taller girl was sitting with her back straight against her chair, delicate hands adjusting the knot of the thin royal blue necktie wrapped around her neck while studying the menu in front of her. She was wearing a black business suit that conformed to her form, showing off every curve and detail of her body. It was especially tailored just for her much like all the other clothes she usually wears. She looked like she was about to give a speech to the free world or have some sort of meeting with the Queen of England. Elsa looked so chic and refined with her neatly fixed bun and those bangs wisped away to the side that Anna couldn't help but stare.

_Those bangs should be illegal. How on earth does she do this everyday? I can barely get out of bed in the mornings and here she is looking like she's about to walk down the runway in America's Next Top Model and slay everyone. Unbelievable._

Anna suddenly grew self-conscious and looked down on her shirt. She cringed. Out of all the ones she can wear, she chose her black oversized Resident Evil IV shirt Kristoff had gotten for her when he went to Comic Con a few years back. The image consisted of the main protagonist, a police officer, struggling to break free from a monster that was trying to cut his head off with a chainsaw. There were bloodstains splattered all over the shirt to boast of its horror and violence. And it also didn't help her case when she had realized that she looked like someone who barely survived the zombie apocalypse. Anna stifled a groan when it dawned on her that she was wearing her "soccer sweats," the discolored pair with various holes and rips that she always used when playing with Kristoff.

Waking up so early in the morning was a struggle. After snoozing repeatedly and practically throwing her phone across her room, her alarm gave up and left her alone. It wasn't until she heard Marlin blare his horn aggressively outside of her window that she realized she needed to get out of bed. Immediately. Anna jumped from her bed and tripped over a pile of clothes strewn on the floor before reaching her cellphone that she had casually tossed away to stop it from interrupting her slumber.

After calling Marlin to tell her that she'd be ready in a few minutes, Anna, who was still half-asleep, fumbled through her closet and hurriedly picked whatever piece of clothing that she can wear that was clean. After changing out of her pajamas, the redhead rushed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, barely combing her hair and opting to fixing it in a quick ponytail. She practically ran out of her apartment with her book bag opened and its contents threatening to spill. Marlin's blue convertible was at bay and Anna was greeted by the duo before scolding her for being late. Dory explained that Elsa will be meeting them at the coffee shop after she wraps up her morning conference call. Lucky for her, she did not have to endure an awkward car ride if the blonde was there to sit next to her in the backseat. She was not made for mornings. Nope, not at all.

_Goddamnit. I should've opened my eyes while choosing my clothes. That would've been helpful. _

It didn't help that Elsa looked so radiant and perfect, sitting prettily in front of her.

Elsa hung her purse behind her chair and clasped her hands over the table. "So, what do you guys think so far?" The blonde's voice broke through Anna's stupor, causing an abrupt stop to her self-rebuke.

Marlin closed his eyes and inhaled the hypnotizing scent of whatever magic Mr. Maurice was conjuring in his kitchen. "Arendelle, I'm impressed. This place is _amazing_," he exclaimed while pounding his fists on the table energetically.

"Elsa, I'm so glad you brought us here," Dory said, nodding in agreement. "Now we know where to find you," she rubbed her hands together conspiringly, sending her friend a playful smirk.

The blonde chuckled softly, pale fingers covering her mouth. "Well, you're more than welcome to come join me in my exciting reading adventures," she said, feigning a cringe. "All I really do in my spare time is read and study." Elsa sighed, giving Dory an apologetic look in which the other girl dismissed with a giggle. Anna was trying her best not to stare at Elsa because it was becoming borderline creepy, so she tried to distract herself by tracing the outline of a napkin on top of the table with her fingers while listening to the other three talk. Nope, she will not risk humiliating herself again in front of this girl and her new friends. Nope, not today. Today, she will keep her mouth shut. She will eat her damn breakfast _(crap, she's leaning on the menu…why were we given only one menu?) _and she will go to school and sit quietly in her seat and ignore the back of a platinum blonde head peeking out in the front row.

_How the hell did I even agree to wake up for this and…why is she so gorgeous?_

"Oh, Arendelle," Marlin clicked his tongue and leaned against his chair while locking his hands together behind his head. "'Spare time' and 'studying' are not words and activities you should combine. Ever. Did you get a chance to play _The Sims City_ yet?"

Elsa rolled her eyes at Marlin. "I like studying. And yes, I did get a chance to look through it the other day. I think it's a great game," Elsa replied while sliding the little tray of sugar cubes that was on her side to the middle of their table. She took a glance at Anna and noticed the girl's face marred with a tiny frown, her eyes trained on a piece of napkin in front of her.

_Is she okay? _

"And yet, you didn't send us pictures," Dory pointed out in a sing-song tone. "Come on Elsa, you know how Marlin and I love your work. We were just telling Anna all about those drawings and images you used to show us," she said as she elbowed the mute girl sitting next to her. "Right Anna?"

"I-uh…yeah! Dory said you're a great drawist. Drawer. Artist," the startled redhead sputtered, her mouth moving rapidly and uselessly like an engine low on oil and struggling to roar back to life. Anna was at a loss of words; all those aced vocabulary tests she had taken not so long ago in her previous school to boast of her knowledge in the English language went down the drain just as fast as her sense of time and place the moment she met Elsa's eyes. A surge of red crawled up to Anna's cheeks, the warm sensation burning through her skin.

"An artist. S-she said you're a good artist," Anna corrected herself, mumbling. She bit her lower lip, resisting the urge to bolt out of the shop. _Why am I so flustered by her?_ Knowing that it was idiotic and absolutely ridiculous to do just that, she took in a breath and slowly exhaled, turning her sight back at Elsa. Cerulean eyes blinked and flitted across Anna's face. Elsa was expressionless, yet she held the younger girl's gaze, the top of her ears turning bright pink.

"Anna, are you okay?" Marlin raised a brow, his brown eyes twinkling with fascination. He leaned forward and took a closer look at the girl. Dory chuckled and swung her arm over Anna's tensed shoulders. "Are you really this allergic to mornings that you forget how to speak?" she quipped, patting Anna on the back.

"Funny, Dory," she deadpanned, ignoring Marlin's smirk. "I guess it was a bad idea staying up all night reading," she muttered as she rubbed her forehead with her palm, emphasizing a headache and hoping she looked convincing. _I didn't forget how to speak. Only when she's around and I have yet to figure out why._

"What were you reading?" Elsa asked, her head slightly tilted to the side.

Anna's eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

_Fanfiction about two ghost hunters who are secretly in love with each other but they're brothers. _

"Harry Potter," she replied quickly, a sheepish grin curving her mouth upwards. "I'm up to the part where Edward Cull—Cedric Diggory dies." _Smooth. Except that you didn't really read the book because you watched the movie instead. And Edward Cullen is from 'Twilight', dumbass. _She glanced out of the corner of her eye and caught Marlin rolling his eyes.

"The Goblet of Fire! That's my favorite book out of the seven," Elsa exclaimed, a lopsided smile slowly tugging at the corner of her lips. "Same!" Dory added while she brought her hand up for a high five to which Elsa happily obliged to.

"Did you read 'The Hunger Games' yet?" Elsa leaned forward, clasping her hands together and resting her chin over them, her elbows on the table. Bright blue orbs zeroed in on Anna's face, waiting for an answer. Anna gulped, her heart started to throb furiously against her chest, the warmth that was simmering in the pit of stomach increasing each passing second.

_Okay, you actually read the books. You've got this. _"I did in high school as a reading assignment," she said without faltering or stumbling on her words. "I can't wait for to next movie to come out, I heard there's going to be part one and part two," a spurt of confidence started to bloom in her chest, half convinced that she won't embarrass herself any further since she actually knew what she was talking about now.

"Which book did you like the most?" she inquired, hoping to keep the momentum of the conversation. Anna realized that it would be useless to avoid engaging in casual talk with Elsa since they were practically sitting in front of each other. The least she can do is try. _This shouldn't be hard. She's here. She's in my class. She's just a girl. We're gonna end up being friends anyway. Maybe. _

_I hope._

"I really liked the first one but it's really heartbreaking reading about how Rue died," Elsa sighed, remembering how much she cried when she read that part in the book. "What about you?"

Anna hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I did like the third one a lot. I think it just sums everything up even though it was really disastrous. There were a lot of people who ended up dying, too," she noted, gulping, as she noticed how little their space was across from each other especially with Elsa leaning like that.

"Hush, ladies. I haven't seen the movie yet," Marlin hissed, covering his ears with his hands while throwing Anna and Elsa dirty looks.

"It's called reading the books, Marlin," Anna quipped, sticking her tongue out. "You should check them out, they're really good."

Marlin raised a brow and waved his hand dismissively. "Listen, Anna, I have better things to do than read. You and Elsa can have fun with that. Besides, Jennifer Lawrence's hot. I'd rather watch her do her thing instead."

"Men," Anna glared at Marlin. "But you're right, Jennifer Lawrence is awesome," she nodded, lacing her hands together over the table and careful not to bump against a pair of pale hands folded in front of her.

"Ahem," Dory cleared her throat as she crossed her arms and looked at Anna and then Elsa, a mischievous grin creeping onto her face that the two girls did not catch. "While you two nerds talk about your depressing fandoms, I'm gonna go and see what Mr. Maurice is up to," she shot Marlin a look and the boy stood up immediately without question. "Right, I need to call Nemo anyway," he muttered, sliding off from his chair.

"What's a fandom?" Elsa asked before Dory and Marlin can walk away.

Three pairs of eyes stared at her like she had just grown another head.

"Do you really not know what a—"

"Elsa, you're kidding aren't you?"

The innocent and confused look on Elsa's face convinced them that she was nowhere near bluffing.

"A fandom," Marlin interjected, raising his hands to signal Dory and Anna to stop talking, "is a force not to be reckoned with. Stay away from it, Elsa. It's a deadly vortex and it will suck the life out of you," he warned in a low and ominous voice.

Dory snickered. "Elsa, we'll explain more when we get back. Anna, fill her in, please? I'm sure you know what a fandom is since you're wearing that shirt," she said while pulling Marlin's arm, dragging him away. Marlin groaned and whined about Dory's tight grip, but the taller girl ignored him and continued to walk towards the front of the shop to look for Mr. Maurice.

Anna took a quick glance at her shirt and blanched, remembering her fantastic choice of outfit for the day. The redhead looked up to the ceiling while blowing on her fringe, avoiding the slow drumming of her heart. _As if I wasn't already struggling in having a conversation with her, you two leave me alone. Great. _

"I like your shirt," Elsa commented, breaking through the brief pause as she studied the grotesque monster holding the chainsaw. "Is that from a movie?"

"Oh! This? Well, there are movies based on it but it's originally a zombie game franchise," Anna stammered, pulling at the top of her collar to show Elsa the printed letters stating the title of the game the pictures were derived from. The blonde was quiet, pinching her brows together, blue eyes moving around the images swimming in front of her in bold and bright colors. The younger girl slowly let go of her grip on her shirt and wondered what was going through Elsa's mind.

_She's probably convinced I'm into murder and gore. _

"Is that from a fandom—or a fandom?" Elsa asked, pulling her hands off the top of the table and placing them over her lap. "I'm sorry, I just don't know a lot about these things. I don't really play video games and I wouldn't know how to even if I tried," she trailed off, a warm shade of pink appearing on her cheeks. Anna's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of Elsa trying not to squirm in her seat as she ran a hand over her bangs to smooth them out although they already looked flawless.

"Well, a fandom is a bunch of people online and even in person who pretty much enjoy the same things," Anna started, shaking her mind off Elsa's distracting hair and lips and—_everything_. Teal eyes followed Marlin's orange hat and Dory's purple shirt; the two were chatting with Mr. Maurice by the register, their muffled laughter filling the small and quiet shop. Anna shifted her eyes back at Elsa and added, "And yes, this is from the Resident Evil fandom. I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to video games especially ones that involve zombies," she chuckled self-deprecatingly while rubbing the back of her neck. _Marlin and Dory, please come back._

Anna took one last glance at the duo and realized waiting for them was futile since they had started to take selfies with the shop owner who was throwing peace signs at Marlin's camera phone. _Okay, it's just Elsa and me right now. Okay. Ask questions, Anna. Say something. Talk. You're good at talking. Talk to her._

"Fandoms can be about television shows and bands. Do you have any favorites?"

Elsa pressed her lips in contemplation, oblivious of Anna's struggle to act as normal as possible. "Do you think there's a fandom for Brahms or Handel?" she asked hesitantly, feeling a bit of an oddball since she didn't know a lot about mainstream music. Her father made her take piano lessons at the tender age of four, her final lessons ending after she finished high school since Walt wanted her to focus on college and her studies. Elsa had little exposure with the kind of music people her age were accustomed to; she was too busy learning Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi.

Bewildered, Anna blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Realizing that there was no punch line and Elsa was seriously asking her if there was an avid community of people out there who are fangirling and obsessing over classical music composers, the redhead shifted in her seat and scratched her head.

"I'm sure there is—there's a fandom for everything," she replied thoughtfully, her mind registering the words Elsa had said and backtracking to remember if she knew of people who listened to deceased German prodigies. She had given up. "There's also a lot of people who's into the drawing fandom. Doodles, anime, animation. You name it. Dory and Marlin did say that you're a good artist," Anna tried, suddenly remembering the pair praising and admiring Elsa's sense of art and style the first day they had met while waiting for the blonde to arrive in class and mentioning it again this morning. She then noticed Elsa's face switching from pale to bright pink, her shoulders hunching up to her ears.

Elsa took in a breath and released it slowly through her nose. "They're very kind, but I'm not as good as they say I am. It's just a hobby," she said in a gentle voice, a small and timid smile curving her lips. "They're just doodles and ideas," she offered.

"But it's something that you really like to do, right?"

Elsa contemplated her question, wondering when was the last time someone asked her about something that she was interested in and fond of doing. "I guess you can say that. I admit, I do draw a lot but it's just really for my own leisure," she replied as she relaxed her muscles and leaned her back against her seat. She looked at Anna, who was furrowing her eyebrows in concentration, her eyes focused on her hands, as if she was thinking of what to say next. Elsa did not want to cut her train of thought, so she let the silence linger, waiting for the younger girl to respond.

"How come you didn't major in something that has to do with that field? You know, be an architect or maybe an animator or something," Anna asked curiously, recalling Dory and Marlin's vague comment about Elsa being in the pre-med program. Anna was aware of Elsa's father and his reputation of being a well-known doctor, maybe that was one of the reasons why she found herself intimidated being around the blonde. She saw how other students looked at her in class; some with jealousy, others with anger (mostly several men who tried to court Elsa and failed), but mostly with respect. But Anna figured that there was probably more to her and maybe they might even have something in common.

The older girl took a few seconds to digest Anna's question. Luminous blue eyes slowly darkened with sadness as she struggled to find the words to answer the redhead's inquiry. "My father owns a pharmaceutical and hospital network," she replied slowly, fidgeting and carefully picking out each word that will come next. She noticed a small hole on Anna's shirt where the letter "R" is, a tiny portion of her skin showing underneath the tear. "I'm his only child so that basically means I'm next in line to inherit his business. He wants me to be a doctor like him to qualify for the job of taking his place someday and—I am honored to do just that," Elsa forced a smile that did not reach her eyes, swallowing the bitter after taste of what she had just said.

She knew in her heart that she never dreamed of being a doctor and it was not something that she was passionate about. Maybe making herself believe that it's what she wanted would somehow result to being something that will ring true someday. And even if it didn't, it would be pointless to steer herself away from the fact that this is what she was trained to do all her life.

But who cares about what she thought? Now wasn't the time to think about such things.

The rueful expression blemishing Elsa's features made Anna regret her question as she felt the pounding muscle behind her chest twist upon seeing bright blue orbs turning dull and vacant under long eyelashes. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought that Elsa was merely following her father's footsteps. But the way Elsa answered her question noncommittally made her think twice. She knew nothing about Elsa's circumstances, but she sensed the girl's growing uneasiness and decided to stay away from the topic.

Anna tried a cheery smile. "I'm sure you'll make a great doctor someday, Elsa," she said encouragingly, watching Elsa distractedly brush the back of her hand over her forearm, sweeping away dust that was nonexistent. "And whether you draw or doodle just for the heck of it, I bet what you create is awesome especially if it's something that you love. I mean, that's all what matters, really—doing things that make you happy.

Elsa froze and looked up at Anna, searching her face. _It's not that simple. _But seeing as to how well meaning and sincere the younger girl was, Elsa opened her fist that she wasn't aware she had clenched in the first place. She straightened her back and folded her hands in front of her, taking in Anna's presence, humored by the sudden turn of events. Remembering that here she was, about to have coffee with the stranger who spilled coffee on her upon their accidental meeting. And that said stranger was currently giving her a pep talk. Who would've thought fate would be this ironic and interesting?

_Up close, you can really see her freckles—and it looks nice…how they align perfectly across her nose. She's quite…pretty._

"Elsa, are you okay?"

The blonde parted her lips to respond but sealed them shut when she felt her pulse quicken its pace. Her necktie suddenly felt tight and heavy around her neck as beads of sweat started to dot her forehead. Elsa took a sharp intake of breath and exhaled slowly, concentrating on the warm gust of air escaping her nostrils.

"It's nothing," she croaked. "Just thinking about being a doctor. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business."

Anna dropped her jaw while teal green eyes double in size. "Did you just quote _Supernatural_?" she gasped incredulously, not believing what just she heard.

A fascinated smirk played on Elsa's lips. "Just because I don't know what a fandom is, it doesn't mean I live under a rock," she shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not prehistoric, you know. And I'm still convinced I'm going to marry Dean someday."

"That's…that's awesome," Anna commented in an almost whisper, unable to hide the amusement in her voice. "Do you watch any other shows?" she asked meekly while tapping her knuckles together. _Man, she is full of surprises._

Elsa rubbed her chin in thought. "Well, I also like _The Game Of Thrones_. There's a lot of incest, but I don't mind. The books were quite an adventure, too.

A small squeal escaped Anna's mouth. "Stark or Lannister?"

Elsa crossed her arms and chuckled. "Stark, of course. I'm a huge fan of winter and Jon Snow," she cocked a brow, suppressing a large grin that was about to split her cheeks apart. Anna looked so surprised and she looked…_adorable._

"Well, winter is coming," Anna said in a low voice, trying to sound brooding but she snorted and erupted into a giggle. Elsa's eyes widened and she shot a hand over her mouth, stifling her laughter. Her father always said laughing loudly with your mouth open is improper and unladylike. But here in front of her was a girl giggling at her own failed joke, not having a care in the world how she looked like. Here was Anna Fjellheim, with her oversized shirt and freckled-nose, laughing without inhibition. Here was someone who didn't seem to care if she became a doctor or a "drawist." Here was Anna, kind and awkward Anna, hands gripping the edge of the table; her eyes closed and her head thrown back in obvious delight, the happy noises coming out of her mouth echoing through the coffee shop.

And slowly, ever so slowly, Elsa lowered her hand, revealing a brilliant, toothy smile. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she joined in on Anna's fits of laughter. She didn't really know what was so funny anymore, but she hasn't laughed like that in so long. And it felt good. It felt good having to laugh with someone.

"I'm sorry, I really suck when it comes to sounding serious," Anna said in between breaths. "But you're right, _Game of Thrones_ has a lot of incest but for some reason, it makes sense. Love is love. I totally ship Cersei and Jamie," she said, a dopey smile spreading across her face.

Elsa blinked confusedly. "Ship?"

Anna bit at her lower lip. "Elsa, you really need to get on Tumblr if you haven't done so yet."

A disgusted Elsa raised her hands and waved them vigorously at Anna as if the girl had offered her a piece of rotten fruit. "No, I've heard terrible things about that Tumblr thing. Nope. No thanks."

"It can be a good thing, Elsa," Anna tried to coax her. "Maybe you'll find a fandom there."

"I don't need one, thank you very much."

Anna chuckled. "I mean, you're gonna be running a _kingdom_ of hospitals someday. Why not start with something easy for practice?"

A wry smile parted Elsa's lips. "Another attempt to making puns, I see."

"I can try," Anna replied challengingly. "I swear I'll get it right someday."

The sound of Dory and Marlin's footsteps creaking through the floorboards made Anna and Elsa turn their heads, forgetting for a slight second that they were in the shop with them.

"So, what did we miss? Do you still not know what a fandom is, Elsa?" Marlin shot Elsa a teasing smile, his arms resting on his hips.

"I explained what that is to her, but she doesn't know what a 'ship' is," Anna replied flatly, pretending to look defeated.

Dory tapped her chin and narrowed her eyes in thought. "Elsa," she cried out enthusiastically, "We need to get you on Tumblr!"

That was enough to make Anna burst into hysterical laughter. Dory and Marlin exchanged confused looks as a shade of red coated Elsa's cheeks.

The blonde stared at Anna before covering her face with her hands.

* * *

"For fuck's sake, why won't you freaking die already?" Kristoff muttered angrily under his breath, his biceps bulging through his sleeves as he jammed the Play Station 3 controller aggressively, trying to shoot a swarm of zombies lunging towards him. "Anna, can you come over here? I can't get past this stupid mission," he moved his head to the side just enough for her to hear his voice, his eyes still glued on the television screen.

"I'm coming, I'm just putting sugar on my coffee," she poked her head out of the kitchen just in time to see a "Game Over" sign flashing across the screen. Anna shook her head. "I told you I'll do it for you if you would just wait."

Kristoff rolled his eyes and restarted the game. "That's your second cup of coffee. Did you not sleep at all last night?"

Anna grabbed her mug from the counter and made her way to the sofa where she carefully plopped herself down next to her best friend, careful not to spill the steaming coffee on her lap. "I just woke up earlier than usual to have breakfast with some people from my class," she mumbled, teal eyes squinting and adjusting themselves to the bright screen. "You have to run the opposite direction and climb on that ladder so you can get a good shot," she pointed at the grey building towering behind the group of zombies charging towards Kristoff.

"Right. So whom did you have breakfast with?" Kristoff asked, his fingers furiously jabbing at the controller.

"Dory, Marlin, and Elsa," Anna replied before taking a small sip of her coffee, a satisfied smile escaping her lips. _I make the best coffee. This is almost as good as the one Mr. Maurice makes. _

"Elsa Arendelle?" Kristoff commented disbelievingly. "That's a huge leap. I thought she didn't like people?"

Anna slapped Kristoff's arm. "That's not true," she glared at her best friend whose eyes were still on the screen, a smirk plastered on his face. "She's just really quiet and she's always busy with school and work."

"Well, I'm glad she's finally opening up. One of my team mates is in her Advanced Orgo class and he said she's insanely smart but also insanely antisocial," Kristoff shrugged a shoulder, dodging a zombie that tried to grab his character. "She was dating the son of this super rich business mogul for a few months. Apparently, when they broke up, Elsa became more reserved than ever. A few of my buddies tried asking her out, but she kept declining. No one has tried to come near her since."

Anna nodded her head slowly, waiting for Kristoff to continue. "Do you know who this guy was? The one she dated?" Anna asked nonchalantly, trying to mask her growing curiosity.

"Some dude named Hans Westerguard. I was with my boys after practice when we saw him parking his Lamborghini behind the school just a few days ago. The guys hate his guts," Kristoff frowned, his character's life meter decreasing because a flying creature bit him. "Apparently, he cheated on Elsa numerous times. My buddies hate him because they think she became some sort of man hater after what that douchebag did," he sniggered. "And now, the guys don't stand a chance with her. He looks like a snobbish and stuck-up asshole. I don't know what Elsa saw in him, she seems like a nice girl."

"She is a nice girl," Anna said gently, cupping her mug as she thought of the blonde. "I didn't know she went through something so horrible like that," she commented sadly as her eyes rested on the brown liquid emitting a fantastic scent of vanilla and cinnamon.

"Well, there are assholes in this world and they tend to screw over the nice ones," Kristoff replied as a matter-of-factly, his tongue sticking out as his body shifted to his left, swaying side to side like the character on screen. "It's nice that you're making friends with her, you're amazing and I'm sure you two will get along well," her best friend remarked casually, causing Anna to blush and turn her head to the stocky boy in front of her. Her eyes softened as she sent Kristoff a gentle smile. Sometimes, Kristoff says the nicest things without realizing it and Anna loved him for that.

"Ow, ow, ow," Anna suddenly cried as a distressed look wiped the grin off her face. She placed her mug on top of the coffee table before pressing the sides of her head with the palm of her hands to squeeze out the dull and pulsing pain that came out of nowhere.

Kristoff immediately paused the game and dropped the controller on the floor. "Anna, are you okay? What's wrong? Anna?" he staggered to his feet and kneeled before her, his hands hovering over her face. A look of worry distorted Kristoff's features as he watched his best friend twist and turn in pain. "Do you want me to call 911? I'm gonna call 911," Kristoff said quickly, standing up to run to his room to grab his cellphone. But before he can leave, Anna grabbed his shirt and held on tightly. "It's just a headache, Kristoff," she forced a smile, her breathing heavy and strenuous. "I'm gonna be okay. Just sit here with me."

"But Anna—"

"I'm fine, Kristoff. Come sit," Anna said as she continued to tug at Kristoff's shirt.

"I don't think it's a good idea to just let this be especially with your condition being—"

"I don't have a _condition_," Anna hissed sharply. "The cancer has been gone for two years and you know that. You were there," she said, struggling to keep her voice calm and steady.

_Yes, I was there. I was there to hold your hair when you were puking in the toilet after each round of chemo. I was there when you lost your hair again. I was there when it grew back. I was there to hold you when doctors inserted needles in your arms. I was there to watch you put on a brave face each and every time. I was there to watch your mother wipe the blood off your nose while you were sleeping on several occasions. I wiped some of it myself. I was there. And I never want to see those things happening ever again. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever._

Kristoff took a sharp intake of breath while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Anna, I don't think this is a good idea. We need to call someone," he said tonelessly as he rocked on his heels, his fist clenching and unclenching against his leg.

The redhead sighed exasperatedly. "I'm just sleep-deprived. I woke up so early this morning and I think my body just went into some sort of shock," she chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood. The solemn look on Kristoff's face was daunting and she hated it when he was mad or upset.

"I'll tell you what," she shifted to the side, propping a pillow against the edge of the couch. "I'm gonna go take a nap and you can watch me if you want. Here. Right now." Anna patted the pillow and sprawled her body across the couch, occupying it completely and leaving no place for Kristoff to sit down.

The blonde boy huffed and groaned as he stomped towards Anna. "Fine. You're going to sleep. No more monkey business. I will wake you up when I think it's okay for you to wake up," he demanded as he crossed his arms, a scowl etched on his face.

"Geez, stop being so grumpy," Anna raised both hands in surrender. "Okay, I'll go to sleep. Now be quiet." She stuck her tongue out at her best friend before rolling to her side, her back facing Kristoff. The boy sighed and shook his head as he grabbed the controller to turn his console and the television off. He quietly sat cross-legged against the wall facing Anna, watching the small figure squirm in an attempt to find a comfortable sleeping position.

Kristoff furrowed his eyebrows while he closed his eyes. _Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn girl. _He peeled one eye open to make sure Anna was still there and not tip-toeing to try and pounce on him because that's something she would do. But lucky for him, the redhead was immobile. _She must've fallen asleep already. I'll give it a few more minutes. _The blond boy was about to close his eyes again when he caught sight of Anna's white iPhone sitting next to her coffee mug.

_I'm gonna have a chat with Mrs. Fjellheim later._

* * *

"I think we should name him Agdar."

"Honey, your name is already Agdar."

"It's Walt Agdar. We should name him Walt Agdar, then."

"Your name is wonderful, my love. Very classy and Norwegian. But we should still go over our other options. And you hate being called 'Walt' so why should we name our baby that?"

"Well, you're the only who can pronounce my name right, anyway. And you're right, 'Walt' is a bit too boring, in my opinion." Agdar scrunched up his face in disgust. "Nope. Not naming our baby 'Walt', okay?"

Bright blue eyes twinkled and Idun let out a soft giggle as she placed a gentle hand over her bulging belly. She was pregnant with their first child and her husband couldn't be more excited. Agdar had taken a leave of absence from work even though his wife had told him not to. Idun did not want him to compromise his job and lose it, convincing him that it was fine if he only took off for a few weeks.

But the soon-to-be father would not listen and wanted to see his first and only child grow. Agdar wanted to be a hands-on father. He wanted to be there for the diaper changing, the late night milk sessions, and to simply watch the baby take his first steps. He could care less about being a doctor at the moment. His wife needed him and he wanted to spend time with his little family. He was already thinking of Baby #2.

"How about just Agdar? Agdar Arendelle? Doesn't that sound fitting for a prince?" Agdar tried again, cupping his hands over his wife's. "Prince Agdar of Arendelle. I think it sounds perfect, my love."

Idun rolled her eyes. "Honey, we're not monarchs. Titles like that only work for kings and queens. And did it ever dawn on you that our baby could be a _princess_?

Agdar raised a curious brow before placing his ear against his wife's belly. "If you're little princess, I will still love you and love you and love you," he whispered tenderly. Idun smiled and placed her hand on top of her husband's head, gently tousling his hair. "

"Hello little baby. I don't really care if you're a boy or a girl, daddy and mommy will love you and we will always be here for you," Walt declared before planting a kiss on his unborn child. He then reached over and peppered his wife's face with warm and fervent kisses.

The baby kicked against Agdar's hand. "Honey, did you feel that? He—she–he or she kicked!" Idun giggled as she watched her husband's eyes widen, his hands roving rapidly across her bump, hoping to feel the baby move again. She carefully raised herself from the mattress so she can lean her back against the bed frame.

"I think our baby heard what you said," she looked at her husband lovingly, a pale hand reaching out to stroke his cheek. "You're going to be a great father, Agdar."

Agdar smiled at his wife, green eyes half-lidded. She has given him the best gift and every waking moment of his life was spent in contentment and joy the moment she agreed to be his. After agreeing to marry him, Dr. Walt Agdar Arendelle promised to give her everything and keep her satisfied for the rest of her life as long as she was beside him through it all and through every season. The past three years of marriage was not easy, but it was filled with love and willingness to understand each other's quirks and flaws. It wasn't perfect, but they were happy. And that happiness resulted to a new love making its way to their lives in the form of a baby.

"What shall we name her then…if she is indeed a princess?" Walt muttered dreamily, resting his head delicately over his wife's bump, his brow twitching in slight irritation as he wished for the baby to come sooner so he can finally hold him. Or her.

Idun broke into a huge grin, cerulean orbs brimming with excitement. "I know exactly what to call her," she squealed.

"And what is that, love?"

"Elsa," she whispered adoringly, a lop-sided smile gracing her lips. "Princess Elsa of Arendelle."

* * *

They didn't expect the baby to come so soon. It was in the middle of July, the tides of summer heat drenching Agdar's shirt as he carried his wife to the emergency wing.

"Help! My wife's about to give birth! Please help us!"

A group of uniformed personnel sprinted towards Agdar, gently taking Idun from his arms as they placed her in a wheelchair. "Honey, our baby's coming," Idun tried to smile amidst the pain as she gripped her husband's hand, her breathing labored as beads of sweat trickled from her forehead. "Yes, love, we're almost there," Agdar said reassuringly as he tried to keep up with the nurse who was hastily but calmly wheeling his wife to the delivery room.

He snatched his cell phone from his pocket and scrolled through his "recent" list. His call went straight to voicemail. "Kai, the baby's coming. Please come here soon," he said.

The doors to the delivery room burst wide open and the couple were met by a group of masked professionals wearing scrubs, ready to deliver their firstborn.

* * *

"Dr. Arendelle, I need you to leave this room immediately. You cannot be here right now," the doctor said through her surgical mask, her hands raised in front of her, gesturing for Agdar to leave.

"But I am a doctor and this is my child," Agdar shook his head stubbornly, unwilling to let go of Idun's hand. "I'm not leaving," he stated firmly without breaking eye contact with the head doctor.

"_I_ am the doctor here and this is _my_ operating room. I won't ask you again. You need to leave now, Agdar," Dr. Jane Foster ripped her surgical mask off her face, smearing blood on her cheek from making contact with her latex gloves. "I need to deliver this baby now, you have to go, please," she pleaded desperately.

Agdar knew Jane was right and he trusted her, but that didn't stop him from glaring at her. He then turned his gaze back to his wife whose face was paler than usual, the sound of heavy machines whirring around them.

"I don't want to leave you here alone…"

"My love," Idun said breathlessly, a trembling hand extending to touch her husband's face. Agdar immediately reached forward and leaned his head on his wife's palm. He noticed how cold her touch was. Colder than usual. "Let Jane do her job. I will be fine. We will be fine," she winced and threw her head back down. "I love you. I love you so much," she pulled her hand away and gripped the railing of the bed. "I'll see you soon," Agdar mumbled softly before pressing his lips against hers.

"I'll see you soon, love," Idun forced a smile before breathing in and out rapidly.

"Dr. Arendelle?" a nurse called out, his hand pulling the door open, motioning for him to leave.

Agdar met Jane's eyes. "Jane, do what you must," he begged as his voice started to break. Dr. Foster nodded once and turned her back away from him to attend to his wife.

He took one last glance at Idun before a crowd of doctors surrounded her, blocking his view. Agdar exited the room reluctantly, the sound of his heavy footsteps bouncing through the quiet hospital hallway.

* * *

It has been five hours. Five hours of waiting. Agdar paced back and forth, resisting the urge to burst into that delivery room. He was running on his third cup of coffee, battling exhaustion as dark circles surrounded his eyes. He slumped wearily into a chair nearby and dipped his head low, frustrated hands pressing against the sides of his head.

_What's taking them so long?_

He didn't notice her slow footsteps padding towards him.

"Agdar?" Jane's soft voice broke through his stupor. Agdar snapped his head up, quickly rising from his seat to greet her. In her arms was a baby wrapped in a pink blanket, squirming with little fists balled up in the air. His eyes brightened as he withdrew a joyous gasp. "Pink? Does this mean we have a princess? I have a baby girl! Why did you bring her all the way out here? Where's my wife?"

He was so mesmerized by the beautiful and perfect newborn that he did not notice Dr. Foster's bloodshot eyes and lack of answer to his question.

"Can I hold her?" he asked gently, opening his arms so she can give him his treasure. He looked over Jane's arms and saw little wisps of blonde hair covering the infant's head while a blush of rosy pink shade colored soft and round cheeks. Amidst all the anxiety and exhaustion swirling within him, Agdar couldn't help but smile at the tiny human being in Jane's arms.

A loud sniffle coming from Jane made Agdar look up, finally meeting her eyes. His heart skipped a bit as he dropped his arms. "Jane, what's wrong?"

"Agdar, I'm so sorry," Jane whimpered softly, brown eyes brimming with tears. "We tried everything, but there was just so much blood loss," she bit her lip so hard that it started to draw blood. _No, enough._ _So much blood. So much blood today._

"Idun is gone," she managed to choke out before a fresh batch of tears streamed down her face.

Agdar blinked. He waited for Jane to take her words back. She didn't.

"W-what? I don't understand. The baby's healthy. They were fine. I-I don't understand," he stuttered, not believing his ears. He felt wind being knocked out from his lungs as his head started to spin, his knees wobbling and threatening to break down.

"No, you're lying, please tell me you're lying," he pleaded vainly as his hands started to tremble, blood roaring in his ears like turbulent waves knocking over a ship carrying everything he has ever held dear in his life.

Jane inhaled sharply before proceeding to speak, calming her nerves as she shifted the baby's head to the crook of her other arm. "It was either her or the baby. Idun repeatedly cried out for us to save your daughter," a tear fell on the baby's blanket as Jane wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, Idun's blood still smeared on her cheek.

"We did everything that we could—I'm so sorry," the forlorned doctor could no longer suppress her cries, shaking her head in despair as she tried to keep her tears from falling on the infant in her arms.

"Where is she? I want to see her right now!" he bellowed as he threw a fist on the wall, utter disbelief and anger tearing him apart while he felt his knuckles crack against the cold, white brick. "I should've been there. I never should have left," Agdar grabbed a handful of his hair with both of his hands, pacing back and forth like a mad man.

"Agdar…"

The sound of the baby whimpering brought him back to his senses. "Idun—is gone? My wife is gone? But it can't be," Agdar croaked, his face contorting into a grimace while he takes a step back as his chest started to burn and dissolve with each beat of his weakening heart. He could only see red. The dried blood on Jane's face and the lips he kissed before leaving the delivery room. Nausea took over him as a foul acidic sensation rose up to his chest, destroying every cell and muscle that was holding him together. Jane watched his friend helplessly collapse on the floor, heaving sobs wracking his body at the loss of his beloved.

Jane knelt in front of him, anguished and useless, as Agdar covered his face with his hands while being reduced to a wailing wreck. She waited for what seemed like hours before trying to speak again. Her mouth was dry and her voice was hoarse.

"Do you want to meet your baby?" she asked carefully, lowering her gaze to meet Agdar's eyes. The broken man lifted his head, blinking through his tears. "You don't have to right now, if you don't want. I can bring her to the nursery and you can see her later," Jane offered, mustering a small smile. "She's a fighter, this little one."

Agdar shook his head and opened his arms once again. "No, please give her to me," he said in a small voice, while a ton of bricks and sorrow weighing down on him while feeling the throbbing sensation radiating on his fist. He must have broken a bone or two. Jane gently placed the baby in his arms, careful not to wake the little cherub. She swallowed nervously, watching Agdar's reaction.

"Oh, my princess," he cooed, bright green eyes overflowing with pride and grief. "You're so beautiful just like your mama," he whispered, his breath hitching slightly as he spoke.

A deafening silence hung in the air as Agdar cradled his daughter, his thumb caressing his baby's pink cheek. He grinned a little when he saw her scrunch up her nose.

"Do you have a name for her yet?" Dr. Foster asked through silent tears, immediately wiping them away with her sleeve.

The new father smiled at the baby who had just woken up, little eyes blinking against the fluorescent lights hanging on the ceiling and meeting Agdar for the very first time.

Little blue eyes.

Agdar felt the sudden rush of a thousand knives puncture his heart. All of them tearing and wrenching his insides without knowing when and how to stop.

"Elsa. Her name is Elsa," he replied weakly. "I'd like for you to bring me to my wife now, if you don't mind," he requested before burying his face on his daughter's chest, grief engulfing him once more as he drowned Elsa's blanket with his tears.

_I'll see you soon, love. _


	9. Apollo

**A/N: **I can't believe that you guys are actually reading this. I'm so humbled and blown away. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so sorry it took so long for me to update; I suffered a major disease called Writer's Block and my job got in the way. I don't have a specific updating schedule, but I will do my best to do it every other week. I got my writing groove back, and I do want to practice more. I have mentioned time and again, I am _not_ a writer. I simply do this for fun and because I love Elsa and Anna so much.

Sometimes, I write long. Sometimes, I don't. I just do what feels right to me because I don't want the story to suffer if I'm obliged to do it in a certain way. And this chapter feels right just the way it is.

I know this is a very short chapter, but I really want to explore Elsa and Olaf's relationship as best friends and leave it at that for now. I mean, there's Kristanna, right? I thought it would be nice for our Elsa to have some sort of best buddy that "gets" her.

Again, thank you for the readership. I appreciate each and every one of you. I might update again tomorrow because I'm just so inspired by so many things lately.

I also want to thank my love and my personal Kristoff for helping me start this chapter. You're my head start and my rugged heart.

Also for those wondering, **Apollo** is a sun god in Greek mythology. :)

* * *

_You're my back bone_  
_You're my cornerstone_  
_You're my crutch when my legs stop moving_  
_You're my head start_  
_You're my rugged heart_  
_You're the pulse that I've always needed  
Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating_

**Now Playing: Phillip Phillips / Gone, Gone, Gone**

* * *

The hall was buzzing with activity and noise from all directions. Luggage being carried and rolled around, people rushing to get on buses and taxis, families and friends happily greeting each other. Elsa stood alone at the "Arrival" center of the airport, silently anticipating her beloved friend's return.

_The sooner he gets here the quicker we can get out of here..._

She sighed and stared at the flights' notice board, the "DELAYED" tag on Olaf's plane number mocking her and her growing uneasiness. Elsa hated airports. For as long as she can remember, all her father did was hop on a plane and leave her for weeks to go to another town or country and perform surgeries in attempt to save those who are in peril and in need of a second chance in life.

A desperate father. A mother hoping for a miracle. A young child praying to a silent God to take the tumor out of her brain.

_Elsa, there is a very sick boy in Maine and his name is Henry. He needs my help. Your Uncle and our maids will take care of you. I'll be back in a few weeks._

_Elsa, I won't be home for Christmas. There are patients in Arindal who are in need of surgery and they won't make it unless my team and I get there on time. I have left a check in your study. Please buy whatever you wish. I'll see you soon._

_Elsa, I won't be attending your piano recital because of a major surgery I must perform in San Fransokyo. There is a boy your age who is suffering from a burning accident and his family needs me to save and restore what was left of his brain. I will send Miss Vanellope on my behalf. I'm sorry I did not get a chance to say goodbye. I will see you soon. _

_Elsa, I'm sorry but I won't be back on time for your birthday. My flight has been delayed. Please forgive me and I will see you soon. Always be a good girl._

He was there for anyone that needed him.

Except for her.

She understood the reason why he always had to go and felt bad for feeling neglected, but—_is he the only doctor in this world that can perform those surgeries? Didn't he have a team? Aren't there other doctors out there who are just as skilled as he is?_

The blonde shook the thoughts away, choosing to divert her attention to the array of people passing her by with hurried intent to reach their destination. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, chewing on the inside of her cheeks. _I wonder where they're going and where their home is. _As she wondered about happy households, a little girl passed by her, sprinting towards a uniformed Army personnel kneeling on the ground with arms wide open and ready to catch the bundle of energy coming his way. The corner of her lips rose into a small grin and her thoughts went back to her father.

_I don't remember the last time I hugged Papa like that._

She was quietly watching the heartwarming exchange when out nowhere, a set of strong arms wrapped themselves around her from behind. Elsa was immobilized, brilliant blue eyes widening in surprise from the sudden and invasive contact.

_What…the hell?_

Before she can react, the perpetrator grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, flashing her the goofiest and toothiest grin she has ever seen. Olaf's kind, brown eyes zeroed in on a very frantic and startled Elsa, his smile still glued on his ruggedly bearded face. Olaf Apollo's palms slid to Elsa's elbows, gently clutching them as anticipation and obvious delight brightened his features. The blonde couldn't believe her eyes as she registered what was happening and who was before her.

"Did you miss me?"

"O-Olaf?!"

_Olaf!_

Olaf in the flesh. _Olaf is here!_ The one person who was consistent in her life and the one friend—the only friend—who understood her the most. The one person who greeted her at 12:00AM every year on her birthday. The one person who says, "I love you" to her every single day through a text or a phone call without fail no matter where he was and how far apart they were. The one person who listened to her talk about her dreams with nothing but support and encouragement. The one person who knew her—taken the time and effort to really know her.

Forgetting proper etiquette and her lady-like disposition, Elsa threw her arms around Olaf's neck and buried her face on his shoulder, locking and knocking them both in a tight and lingering embrace.

_Olaf._

The suit-clad Norwegian man kissed the side of Elsa's head and perched his jaw atop a mass of platinum blonde crown, his luggage unattended and carelessly strewn on the ground and he held his best friend tightly. The contour of his biceps outlined the sleeves of his suit and he tightened his grip around Elsa. A soft and whisper-like sound escaped Elsa's lips, causing him to frown and dip his head lower, searching for her face.

"Are you crying? What's wrong?" Olaf cupped a pale cheek, feeling something inside him sting at the sight of his best friend's tear-stained face. He wiped a droplet away with the tip of his thumb.

"I just missed you so much," Elsa croaked, holding on to Olaf's shoulders as her mascara started to get smudged from the droplets of crystals streaming from her eyes. Elsa's nose had started to turn red, something Olaf found endearing and adorable and slightly unfair. The bearded man observed his best friend's face and wondered how she still managed to look celestial. _Even if Elsa dressed in a trash bag and paint her face with coal and dirt, she will still look breathtaking and gorgeous_. Dripping mascara, smudged lipstick, and a broken smile—Elsa was just as glorious.

Olaf rested his hands on Elsa's shoulders then her face, a reassuring smile splitting his cheeks apart.

"I'm here now, Elsa. And I'm not going anywhere." Elsa gave him a little smile before resting her head once more on his strong shoulder. Olaf pulled her closer and sunk his head on the collar of her coat, still not quite sure whether this was all a dream or reality. He inhaled the scent of vanilla and fresh rain radiating off of Elsa's hair before letting go to take another look at his best friend.

"So Elsa, you made cupcakes didn't you?" Olaf whispered to her ear excitedly, the hairs on his face tickling Elsa's lobe.

"Mhm, how do you know that?" Elsa looked up and met his eyes, quirking a confused brow at Olaf's sudden question.

"I smell vanilla all over you. You always used vanilla when baking my favorite cupcakes back home."

Elsa's cheeks reddened. "I was in a hurry today and didn't have time to change out of my clothes. I wanted the cupcakes to be fresh so I baked them before coming here—and the thing is, I just want to—"

"Elsa, what I'm trying to say is, you smell good. And thank you for the cupcakes," Olaf smiled warmly, those big brown eyes filled with nothing but gratefulness. He had gently pulled away from Elsa to pick up his luggage before extending his other hand for hers to hold.

The blonde's face lit up and slowly intertwined her fingers with his. The warmth radiating from Olaf's hand made Elsa glance to her side, still in mild disbelief that her best friend had arrived and will be staying for a long time.

_Olaf is really here. _

The pair walked out of the arrival area, hand in hand, to meet Elsa's driver waiting for them with her limousine parked by the exit of the terminal. While they waited for the driver to put Olaf's luggage away in the trunk, Olaf wrapped his arm around Elsa's shoulder, his face inches away from her, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously.

Elsa squinted, confused. "What is it?"

"So, tell me more about this Anna girl. Are you guys dating yet?"

Pale cheeks burned crimson red at Olaf's tactless and out-of-nowhere question. But if she was to be truly honest with herself, it was the mention of _Anna's_ name that caught her off guard. Elsa's shoulder shot up to her ears. Olaf was unfazed, his arm still resting on Elsa's now rigid form. Elegant eyebrows narrowed in feigned annoyance.

"Really, Olaf? Fiften minutes into our first meeting in two years, that's the first question you can come up with?" she crossed her arms petulantly, bright blue eyes dancing with whimsicality and expectation of the unexpected. With Olaf, there's no telling of what's going to happen next or what's going to be said in the next second. Over the years, she had learned to just roll along with it. But something about Anna in particular; the mention of Anna, made her feel vulnerable. Again, feigned annoyance. Again, she's trying to play it off.

"Elsa, you've been having coffee with this girl every week with your friends for the past four weeks," Olaf deadpanned, clearly unamused and unsurprised by Elsa's defiance. _I'll give it two minutes for her to warm up. Yup. Elsa, you're not fooling anyone. Especially me. _He raised a brow, a playful smirk playing on the corner of his lips. Elsa can only pout.

"Look, we can talk about this over dinner and cupcakes. I know how much she means to you so I want to know more about her."

"What makes you think she means something to me? She's someone from my class and we just have coffee and that's that! We have coffee because Dory and Marlin insist on having this weekly thing and we just happen to tag along," Elsa's hands were flying in all directions as if attempting to catch something in the air to calm her nerves that had now woken up from a brief slumber. _Why the hell am I so flustered? Anna's just a friend. That's it. Why does it even matter?_

Olaf rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. "You mention her a lot lately during our Skype sessions. Your face does this—thing." He pointed at his own face and twirled his finger in a circular motion around it for emphasis.

Elsa shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "What are you talking about?"

"You do this thing where you get all excited and your face lights up. You're happy when you talk about her. Her stories make you happy. You were giggling like a five-year-old when you told me that story about the whole 'fandom' thing_. She makes you happy._"

"Olaf, you're seeing things. You really need to update your laptop, that camera is clouding your senses. Are you still using Windows? I have an extra MacBook Pro that I haven't opened yet and it's the latest—"

"Elsa, no one's forcing you to be there, you know. You obviously go every week because you want to get to know Anna more. I bet you're grateful to Dory and Marlin for this weekly thing. If I didn't know any better, I would think that they're trying to set you two up," Olaf grinned deviously, nudging Elsa's arm with his elbow.

"But you know, it's just a guess. A theory. A very valid and proven theory. Am I right or am I…right?" He shrugged a shoulder before crossing his arms against his chest challengingly.

Elsa's blue eyes darkened as she felt heat rise to her face. She lowered her head and started to wring her hands.

The smirk painting Olaf's face was suddenly erased when he noticed Elsa's growing uneasiness. He pulled her closer and turned his head to face her, the intense look on his eyes making Elsa wince.

"Hey Elsa, I'm just fuckin' around. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. We don't have to talk to about this," he said before planting a kiss on the side of her head.

The blonde bit her lower lip, suddenly feeling bad for making Olaf…feel bad. The apologetic look on Olaf's face caused Elsa's insides to churn unpleasantly. She gripped his sleeve with a timid hand.

"No, don't be sorry, it's just that—I don't know how I feel. It's been weird. In a good way, of course. I'm just not used to going out with people every week," she sighed exasperatedly. "I'm just worried that they'll get tired of me because I'm quiet and boring and—"

"Elsa, you're not boring, you're perfect the way you are." Olaf cut her off, his low and gentle voice firm and emphasizing the word 'perfect.'

But the soft-spoken girl beside him simply shook her head. "Anna's into video games and fanfiction and zombies—and she went skydiving the past summer with this boy she always hangs out with. She's just so…adventurous and carefree. She's everything I'm not," she chuckled ruefully.

"Wait._ A boy? _You didn't tell me that she has a boyf—"

Elsa shook her head again, this time a little more vigorously. "No, Kristoff's not her boyfriend," she said almost defensively and immediately without a second thought. She blinked in confusion wondering where that mini outburst came from while Olaf tried to suppress a smile.

The driver motioned for them to enter the limousine so they can head to Elsa's apartment. The blonde thanked the driver and extended her arm to open the door but Olaf raced her to it. After Elsa found her spot inside the car, Olaf scooched next to her, the soft leather seat giving comfort to his sore back. He yawned and slid his arm to the back of Elsa's neck, pulling her in. She laid her head on his chest, pleased to hear a wild and beating heart pumping against his cramped shirt.

"Cuddle time. You make a good pillow, Miss Arendelle." Olaf said in a tired and groggy voice.

"Go take a nap, we'll talk more later."

"Yes, my queen."

A comfortable silence was shared between the two, but Elsa's thoughts were running amok, in an unheard and almost wanted downward spiral. She thought of what Olaf had said earlier. Inevitably, thoughts of a certain redheaded girl consumed her always logical and always rational mind.

_Anna._

The constellation of freckles dotting her nose, her vivacious—and dorky—laughter than can be heard from miles away, her magnificent and child-like smile that can light up the whole room, those shining and intense ocean green eyes that makes her feel welcomed and accepted—it does mean something to Elsa.

Anna means something to Elsa.

_Could it be?_

_Am I attracted to her?_

_But I'm straight! There was Jack and Hans…but…_

Olaf's loud snore interrupted her stupor and halted the wave of denial she was currently drowning in. She lifted her chin and observed Olaf's face. His jaw was slightly hanging; drool about to drip at any moment. Elsa brushed his unruly bangs away from his forehead, careful not to wake him up.

She made a face upon seeing Olaf's scruffy beard._ Why on earth did he decide to grow his beard this long? He almost looks like Mr. Oaken. _

Elsa couldn't help but smile. Pride swelled from within her at the thought of Olaf being her friend and the fact that he flew all the way to Revenland just to spend time with her. Not only was he kind and generous, but Olaf is also undeniably handsome and attractive; his face boasting a pointed nose, a god-chiseled jaw, full lips that always curved into an easy and sunny smile—and a body sculpted to perfection through hours and hours of training in the gym.

She also remembered years ago, in Norway, when Olaf was merely a scrawny boy who was shorter than her. But she loved and adored him even then because he was the only one who had the patience to pursue a friendship with her in spite of the fact that she was—and is—an awkward recluse whose weird fascination with castles and geometry convinced everyone in her school that she was some sort of freak. People in her middle school class would make fun of her and bully her, but Olaf would always be the first and only person to defend her and threaten to harm those who speak ill of her.

Though kind and naturally happy-go-lucky, when it comes to Elsa, Olaf loses control. His overprotectiveness of his friend knew no bounds. When he found out what Hans did to Elsa, he cleared his schedule and told her he was flying to Revenland to break Hans' jaw. It took a lot of coaxing and hours of begging from Elsa to convince and assure Olaf that she was fine didn't need him to go to jail over a lowly man like Hans Westergaard.

He broke through her walls and won her over with his stubbornness.

There's something about Olaf that made her think of Anna once again.

_Cheerful, easygoing, kind, stubborn…yep. That's it. Anna's also stubborn. _

A few days ago, Anna insisted on making Elsa take her laptop charger because hers had stopped working and she wasn't able to charge her gadget the night before thinking things would go smoothly the next day because she never had a problem plugging her laptop in an outlet inside their classroom. Anna knew Elsa liked to type her notes up and wouldn't take "no" for an answer when she found out what was wrong after asking the blonde since she looked distraught. When Elsa was done explaining to Anna what had happened, Anna whipped out her charger from backpack. After her countless and futile attempts to refuse a very relentless and persistent redhead, it dawned on Elsa that she was not going to win. She had given up and surrendered to Anna's request to take her charger and use it until she gets a new one.

_Elsa, you need this charger more than me. I don't really use my laptop. I write my notes down. See this notebook right here? It's all good. I got you. _

_Anna, I appreciate the gesture, really I do, but—_

_Elsa, please stop being a stinker and just take the charger._

_A stink—excuse me? This is really unnecessary, I can just write my notes down on my note—_

_I'm just gonna stand here the whole day until you decide to take this. Okay? Standing and waiting here. Right now._

_Anna..._

_Yes, Elsa?_

_Fine. Give it to me._

_Okay. Good._

_…Thank you._

_Hey, you're welcome! See you tomorrow at the coffee shop!_

_…Yeah. See you._

The memory made her feel all warm inside.

_But..._

Elsa mashed her brows together in deep thought. _Olaf, how come you and I didn't fall in love with each other? Life would have been easier…_

She sighed. It was getting darker and the stars had begun to align themselves all at once in the heavens above them, glimmering and illuminating, showcasing their splendor against the windowed roof of the limousine.

_Stars. So many stars. So many freckles. She has so many—freckles._

Elsa slowly closed her eyes, her eyelids growing heavier by the second. The steady thumping of Olaf's heart against her ear served as a melody, lulling her to give in to her own exhaustion.

Anna's smiling face was the last thing she saw before falling asleep.


	10. Bacon & Eggs

**A/N:** HI! :) Happy 2015! Sorry for the delay! I hope you guys are doing well and I'm so grateful that you're still here reading this. I know that I update with short chapters—and infrequently. I only write when I'm inspired because if I'm not, I know the story will suffer. What's the point of writing this if it's not fun, right? And this is far from over. There's so much that can happen and I'm still so very much in love with Elsa and Anna. Always.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this one. We're getting _there. _*two thumbs up*

[I don't own Frozen.]

* * *

_Drowning, just as fast as I can_  
_But don't throw me a line,_ _don't reach out your hand  
__'Cause, I'm on the brink of something beautiful,  
__and I want to sing about it,_ _but I don't know where to begin_

_Write it in a letter,_ _but the words don't come out right_  
_Trying to explain how nobody can do me like_  
_You don't understand how helpless I can get_ s_ince the day that we met_  
_Oh can you feel it yet?_

**Now playing: Mae / Ready And Waiting To Fall**

* * *

It was eight-thirty in the morning. Elsa was running between the kitchen and the bedroom in her apartment frantically, flipping eggs and throwing seemingly random objects into her purse in her hurry to leave. She spent the night catching up with Olaf and had a little bit too much to drink.

Her best friend insisted on having Chardonnay, stating that he had brought the imported wine all the way from Norway and didn't want it to be put to waste. But Elsa, who weighed less than one hundred and twenty five pounds, was embarrassingly lightweight and had little to no tolerance of alcohol. After consuming a glass of wine and a half, she was done. Bombed. KO. Tipsy, red-faced, and absolutely going to be late for class the next morning.

If it weren't for Olaf's loud snoring, she never would have woken up just in time for her Advanced Physics lecture. She was already running late, and her equally inebriated best friend was sprawled on the floor underneath her. Elsa jumped off the couch as if it was frozen solid, accidentally stepping on Olaf's chest and forcing him to wake up with her.

And the man had to witness Elsa wander about in her morning routine but with a little bit of panic trailing after her.

"You know, if you keep up with this pace you might just end up with an omelet on your laptop." Olaf noted dryly, both amused and disturbed by his friend's velocity when she needed to get things done.

Elsa paused suddenly, her focused expression shifting into one of guilt and apology. She turned to her friend sitting by the counter and calmly sipping his coffee while smirking at her. Olaf was still wearing last night's attire and looked disheveled from head to toe. His hair resembled a haystack mauled by horses, his necktie hung loose around his neck, and his pants were wrinkled and there seemed to be an out of place stain just below his knee. Elsa traced its origin and discovered a wine spill on her carpet, causing her to cringe—but that can wait. She would have to clean it later after class.

"I'm so sorry to have to do this on your first day here! I wanted to spend time with you so much but I have some really important classes that I have to get to today—I promise I'll make it up to you tonight!"

Olaf waved a dismissive hand as he took another sip. "Don't worry about it, I'm gonna go pick you up from school later," he muttered around his mug. "I'll stop by the hospital first and give Vanellope my presents and I'll come get you."

Elsa opened her mouth with a blank protest but was immediately trumped by Olaf. "Listen, it's totally okay. I know you think it's gonna be a hassle or whatever, but I could really use the tour," a frown creased his forehead when his lips were not met by his current source of sobriety in the form of caffeine. Time for round two. "Besides, I really want to meet Anna."

"Y-yeah. That's fine."

Olaf raised a brow. "You hesitated."

Elsa forced herself to slow down. She clasped her hands in front of her, looking thoughtful and slightly worried. "Well," she started, "I suppose you can come meet us after class? But Anna usually rushes off—"

"Bah. There won't be any rushing. How can she resist me?" Olaf grinned haughtily. He spun around his chair and faced Elsa, locking his fingers behind his neck and pouting his lips exaggeratedly. "I'm Olaf. Genius. Billionaire. Playboy. Philanthropist."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "You're not Tony. And uhm—your zipper is down." She looked away, a blush forming on her cheeks while she aimlessly pointed at Olaf's pants.

"Okay, I'm just a _millionaire_, but—Wait, what?"

Olaf snapped his eyes to his lower body and a surprise intake of breath escaped his throat. "Elsa Arendelle, did you do something to me last night?" He crossed his arms and stared at his friend smugly. "You know, you could've just asked. Bad girl," he wagged his finger at Elsa accusingly, enjoying the increase of red on her face.

Elsa glared at him before walking away, the sound of her heels clacking against the marble floor echoing through the spacious apartment.

"Oh yeah? Go walk out, Arendelle. We both know you have the hots for me," Olaf yelled after her before bursting into a fit of laughter. He paused and a cheschire cat grin split his lips apart.

"What will _Anna_ think? How do we explain this to her?" he wailed while his hands ran down his face dramatically, feigning despair. While he was busy laughing at his own banter, Elsa stealthily returned to the kitchen with vengeance held in between her hands.

Olaf's eyes were still closed as he wiped a tear away, clearly enjoying himself. After regaining his composure, he was met by an expressionless Elsa holding a pillow. The look on Olaf's face was priceless.

"Whoa. Pillow! What? Do you want to like, lay down on the floor or something—with me—and you—"

Before another word can come out of his mouth, Elsa chucked the pillow at his face and proceeded to repeatedly slap him in the arms, at both sides of his head, and she even managed to grab him by the hair.

"You—are—so—perverted!" Elsa's shrill voice hurt Olaf's ear, causing him to duck down, trying his best to shield his head with his arms.

"Ow—ow—HEY LET GO OF MY HAIR—Ow—Elsa, you really need to cut your nails—Ow—you're gonna be late for school!"

Olaf's last words interrupted Elsa's torture spree as she realized what time it was. With her hands hovering over Olaf like a feral cat ready to attack, she snapped out of her aggravation and lowered her hands.

"You are so lucky I have to leave," she said casually, as if she had not spent the last minute socking her best friend with a pillow like a maniac. Her voice was uneven, a little bit shaky from panting. Her chest heaved up and down and Olaf did not learn his lesson.

"Elsa, your boobs. They jiggle. You were so flat when we were younger and now, look at you all grown up and—"

"Apollo, you really wanna die today?" Elsa growled menacingly, her hand shooting up as if she was about to hit him again. The six foot tall man can only dip his head lower to protect himself from another ambush, yet snickering and chortling unapologetically.

But before Elsa can hit him again, he jumped from his seat and disarmed Elsa with a tight hug. With Elsa's arms pinned to her side, she was defenseless and incapable of retaliating.

She muttered inaudible words—somewhere along the lines of "asshole" and "sick pervert."

"There now, sexy lady, warm hug to calm you down, yeah?" Elsa squirmed against his embrace.

"Are you hugging me like this because you want to feel my—chest?" Accusing blue eyes stared Olaf down although he was towering over her. Olaf smiled at her cheekily before letting her loose.

He gripped her shoulders and said, "You see, as much as I would love to have my face on those perfect breasts—okay, please stop looking at me like that—I don't think Anna would be happy with this arrangement. You're into girls anyway. I already lost."

Olaf winked at her before rubbing his hands together in a business-like manner as if concluding his final remarks regarding their talk. He walked around Elsa to pour himself another cup of coffee.

"Olaf," Elsa started in a curt tone, disbelief scrunching her face as Olaf shouldered past her. "I am _not_ into girls and I don't understand why you insist on involving Anna in our conversations. Now, I don't even know if I want you to meet her— "

"Okay, first of all—Elsa, let go of that knife—anyway, no," Olaf pointed at her before wagging his finger once again. "You may not remember much from last night because you were fucked up, but I do."

The blonde opened her mouth to comment, but she struggled to eject words. Sure, she can admit to being drunk. But what exactly happened? What did she tell him? Elsa's hands waved about like she was trying to somehow miraculously find words to say out of thin air.

"What the hell are you talking about, Olaf? You were drunk, too! Listen, if you really want to meet Anna, you have to stop going around saying—"

"—you like her? Adore her? Think her freckles are pretty and that she's pretty?" Olaf batted his lashes and puckered his lips much to Elsa's annoyance.

Blue eyes widened and Elsa can only shake her head. She pinched her nose bridge before sighing in resignation, ignoring the heat rising up from her neck to her face.

"I don't remember what I said last night, but whatever it was, it was out of intoxication. And it's all your fault for getting me drunk." She spun on her heel and grabbed her blazer from the couch from where she passed out just a few hours ago. Her clothing of choice was wrinkled and smelled of leather and wine, but at this point, she didn't really care anymore. She was late for class anyway and to hell with Olaf and his crazy nonsense.

Elsa went back to her purse and continued to stuff objects in it while ignoring Olaf's giggles. "If you're gonna come get me, please be there by four-thirty. Do you want me send Diaval to come pick you up or do you want to borrow my car?"

Olaf snorted. "Of course I want to borrow your car. But knowing you, Miss I-like-public-transportation, I bet you don't even drive it. Or _them_. How many of those things did Walt give you?"

The blush on Elsa's cheeks deepened. She looked up at Olaf and bit her lip.

"You know how I feel about unnecessary indulgence. If I can sell them or donate them, I would. But Papa insists on me having them since I'm the 'Future Face of Arendelle Pharmaceutical'", she said while making an air quote. "It's all for show—I only ever use them when he's here. And he's not around much," she trailed off, her eyes darkening with a hint of sadness.

Olaf's face shifted from mischief to something resembling concern and sympathy. He smiled softly and lowered his coffee on the counter.

"Well, that's what I'm here for. My job is to use my best friend's car and drive her around. So what do you say?" He offered eagerly, glad to see Elsa grinning for real this time, the light in her eyes returning slowly.

"Arendelle, the one and only heir of Walt Arendelle—which car am I allowed to use?"

Elsa stroked her chin in thought. "Since I love you even though you're obnoxious and inappropriate, you're may use whichever you want," she winked at Olaf before pulling out her cellphone to type in a quick memo. "I'll call Vanellope during my break so she can arrange for someone to come fetch one for you from the mansion. Just don't scratch it or else Papa will cut both our heads off."

"Now we're talking!" Olaf yelped triumphantly. "The _list,_ please."

"Let's see," Elsa drew her brows together, biting her lower lip while trying to remember the names of her cars. "Okay—there's the Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, Koenigsegg Agera S—that one's from Sweden!—Porsche 918 Spyder, that Bentley Mulsanne Papa said I could keep because he didn't like the color anymore, and my Aston Martin Vanquish he gave me when I turned sixteen."

"Damn, your father's really cheap," Olaf deadpanned. "I've never driven a Lamborghini before. How much did Walt spend on that?"

Elsa fidgeted and her lips pressed into a thin line. "Do you really wanna know?"

Olaf raised a brow. "Why not? If I end up liking it, I might get one for myself."

Elsa swept her bangs to her side and looked away. "Fivemilliondollars," she mumbled under her breath, causing Olaf to lean forward and strain his ears because he did not hear what she just said.

"What was that?"

"Five million dollars," Elsa repeated unwillingly, the tip of her ears turning bright pink. "Please don't tell anyone. I wanna sell it—trust me, I do—there's so much I can do with that money like donate it to charity, but Papa won't let me and he's always so big on showing off _his_ wealth and—"

"Elsa, you don't need to explain," he cut her off gently, suppressing a grin. It was _so_ Elsa: stammering nervously when talking about things that made her uncomfortable.

"I know you're a humble, down-to-earth, fuckin' billionaire's daughter and the richest twenty-one-year-old in the country, but it's really no big deal," Olaf said nonchalantly while shrugging a shoulder. Elsa's light giggle caused him to crack a smile before taking another sip of his coffee.

"I'm guessing you're still refusing to be interviewed by _Forbes_?"

Elsa shook her head indignantly. "They asked six times already and I just kept on refusing them. Good thing Papa doesn't know about it or else he would've made me do it. No point of flaunting wealth that isn't even mine."

"Psh. It's all politics and bullshit anyway," Olaf said apathetically. "So uhm—the Bugatti? That has to be only a few thousands right? I think I'll be more comfortable driving that since— "

"It's three million dollars," Elsa replied without thinking.

"Holy fucking shit, Elsa," he gasped. "Do you own _anything_ that's not the price of an entire continent?

"But I said you can use whichever you want. Why does it matter?"

Olaf stared at his friend incredulously. "Even if I sell my skull and all of my bones, it won't be enough to pay for a single scratch. I bet the paint used in your cars are made out of gold!"

Elsa rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're more important than those cars, Olaf," she reassured him. "Well, Papa will kill you if you do scratch it, but I know you won't."

"Thanks," Olaf chuckled, shaking his head. "The Lamborghini then!"

"Good," Elsa said, nodding her head once, before spinning around to grab her purse. "It's settled then. I'll have the car delivered here. I'll see you later!"

The blonde wove past the living room, around Olaf's luggage and the pillows clattered on the floor as she headed out the door. She didn't bother looking back for time was not in her favor and she already missed half of her lecture. Olaf simply waved at her before the smell of burning eggs made him jump from his seat.

Elsa's omelet was left unattended, grossly transformed into a yellow-brown blob. Olaf turned the stove off, wincing.

The Norwegian man shook his head and sighed.

_Poor Elsa. _

He opened the fridge and surveyed the contents inside. There were only a carton of eggs, the brownies and leftover filet mignon from last night, a pitcher of water, milk, and a couple of fruits. Olaf went back to the counter and grabbed his phone to navigate the web browser. A sly smile parted his lips.

He made his way to the bathroom to shower. Elsa needed to eat, and he was going to bring breakfast to her. He knew the blonde had an unhealthy habit of skipping meals, and he was not going to let that happen while he was around.

Elsa told him the time of her lunch break for the day, and he decided to give her a surprise visit instead of sticking to the original plan. Hell, he didn't need a car to bring him to the campus. Elsa had a list of taxi company numbers neatly hung on her fridge door. He will find her. And _her._

_I wonder if Anna likes bacon? Yup. I'm gonna bring Anna food, too. It's about time we meet, Miss Fjellheim._

* * *

_Oh, what the hell. Here goes nothing—_

"Hey! Hi! Where are you going? We were gonna go grab a bite, wanna join us?" Anna began shooting sentences through her giant grin before she even reached Elsa, who seemed one part amused and one part alarmed at the other girl's ambush.

Elsa froze for moment before turning around, and she held her books closer to chest. A beat. "Hello, Anna," she said, greeting the shorter girl with a tentative smile. "Who's the 'us' that you're talking about exactly?"

"Why, it's obviously me and Mar-" Anna replied while turning her head, only to stop mid-sentence as she realized her mistake. She looked back at Elsa with a sheepish expression.

"Oops, must've lost him!"

A number of students shouldered past them as they made their way to their classes. The lecture hall Elsa came from was a few doors down away from Anna and Marlin's Art History class. They knew Elsa had the same lunch break schedule as they did, but the blonde always went straight to the library to get a head start on her homework and projects. But Anna felt unusually bold today. Her courage started to build up after spending some time with Elsa during the group's weekly coffee sessions—thanks to Marlin and Dory for insisting that this should be done daily.

Anna didn't know how Marlin disappeared all of a sudden. They were in the middle of exchanging ideas about their upcoming project, and upon seeing Elsa walking from a distance, Anna notified Marlin of her presence. She continued to chatter without realizing she had lost her friend. Though feeling a little bit guilty, she was secretly glad Marlin sauntered off—she wanted to spend time with Elsa. They have exchanged conversations before, sure, but it was always short due to the older girl's timidity and unspoken choice to simply listen to the people talking around her without contributing much.

Anna noticed the way Elsa's eyes would light up whenever Marlin and Dory laughed. She seemed to be enjoying herself just to see other people happy—and that made her curious about her even more. She also adored Elsa's laugh. The way she would shoot her hand up to cover her lips with a delicate hand, the way the corners of her eyes would crinkle whenever she giggled, and the way her gaze would intensify whenever someone was saying something serious, showing that her attention was only on the speaker and no one else.

Elsa was a good listener, but Anna yearned to hear her voice more—and Anna thought she could use a break even for just a little bit. Elsa always spent her free time in the library even though she was undeniably doing extremely well in all her classes.

"So, what do you say?" Anna asked, clasping her hands together while staring right through the blonde's icy pupils.

Elsa raised a questioning brow, not as deterred by Anna's shenanigans yet still just as caught off guard by them. _She's definitely full of surprises..._

_But...I don't think this is a good idea. _Elsa wrestled with her mind that already started running wild with conflicting thoughts and a thousand lame excuses. After her alleged confession to Olaf about her 'crush' on Anna, it just hit her like a truck that she _may _be attracted to the other girl. She gulped, attempting to swallow the lump that lodged itself in her throat.

Anna was wearing a blue oversized hoodie with an image of a reindeer painted in the front. She had her usual braids, and her eyes were bright with anticipation. A messenger bag hung limply on her shoulder, and she was grabbing the strap firmly, making her knuckles turn white. And those freckles—god, those freckles. Elsa had to wrench her eyes away from Anna's face, casting her stare on the tip of her braid instead while quickly stopping herself from counting each dotted speck and wondering how many there were—she really needed to stop doing that. Bad habit. Bad, bad habit.

_I—I can't spend time with her alone. Not like this. Not yet. I wouldn't know what to say, I—can't._

Elsa's lips pursed into a thin line and a look of worry distorted her features. "I'm sorry, Anna," she said apologetically, "But—but there's this_ thing_ I have to do and I— "

"—I am just kidding, I would _love_ to have lunch with you," a familiar voice interrupted, finishing Elsa's sentence for her. She spun on her heel and was greeted by a pristinely dressed man holding two brown paper bags, one on each hand. They seemed to reek of bacon and eggs.

"W-what are you doing here?" Elsa stammered, completely shocked and dumbfounded to see him standing in front of her.

Unfazed, he simply rolled his eyes. "Good morning—err—afternoon to you, too. I brought breakfast," he exclaimed happily, raising his arms to show her the food that came with him. "I was waiting over there and then I saw you," he said, pointing at the wall a few feet away from them. Anna quietly stepped back, her newfound courage deserting her as her usual awkwardness perched itself on her shoulders once again, making her feel little and out of place.

_I didn't know she had a boyfriend—and he's here to bring her breakfast._ Anna felt a pang of unexpected sadness prick her like a needle. She didn't know where this emotion came from, but it made her ache just a little bit. The random intruder resembled someone belonging to a fashion magazine; it was as if he jumped right out of it. With his hair styled in a flawless pompadour, beard neatly trimmed, his brown cashmere v-neck sweater tracing a toned body underneath, and that dazzling James Dean smile lazily lining his lips—she was sure he was some sort of celebrity. And he was perfect for someone as beautiful as Elsa.

"Oh! I didn't mean to be rude! Hello there!" 'James Dean' didn't miss a beat. He turned his attention away from a very nervous Elsa and quickly acknowledged Anna's presence, interrupting her from her budding self-deprecation extravaganza. "You must be Anna! Oh my, Elsa's right—you do have a lot of freckles," he noted through a knowing smile, leaning forward to observe her face a bit closer. "My goodness. You _are _very pretty," he commented while nodding his head.

Anna's eyes widened. Elsa slapped a hand over hers.

Anna moved her mouth uselessly. Open. Close. Open. Close. _Whoa. Okay. How does he know me? Elsa talks about me?" _

"Hi—uhh—yeah. I'm Anna," she finally replied, feeling unconscious from the way the strange man was looking at her like she was his long lost friend. It didn't help that he was very, _very _handsome. His big, brown eyes were soft and welcoming, and before Anna knew it, he dropped the bags that he was holding and lunged toward her for a hug. Anna jumped and let out a squeak when huge arms wrapped themselves around her without hesitation.

"Wait, what are you—" Elsa reacted quickly, dropping her books, as she propelled her hand to grab the back of his sweater—but stopped—when she saw Anna patting his shoulder blade awkwardly, mouthing, "It's okay."

Anna was just as confused and startled by the assault and didn't really know how to react. She shot Elsa a questioning look, but the blonde just shrugged her shoulders helplessly, the color on her face draining.

When he finally let go, he proceeded to grip both of Anna's shoulders with his hands so he can take a good look at her. Those big brown eyes twinkled mirthfully and he flashed her the biggest grin she has ever seen.

"I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs. Would you like to have brunch with me and Elsa?"


	11. Making Today A Perfect Day…ish

**A/N:** Oh WOW._ 8 months later_, and I'm back. To this story, I mean. I've been focused on other projects that I have neglected this one. But it's STILL ongoing, and I'm forever grateful to you guys. :)

This is a short update since I'm trying to get back to it—just trying to stretch and exercise my fingers and Elsanna feels. xD

Hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

* * *

Olaf led the way to the cafeteria like he owned the halls. He strode past students who had just exited their lecture rooms, catching the attention of a few female bystanders. Elsa and Anna trailed behind him, deliberately avoiding each other's gazes. Olaf decided that the three of them should have lunch together much to Elsa's horror and Anna's shock. He didn't regard Elsa's silent protests as he had successfully—yet stubbornly—coerced them to give in to his request.

"You don't even go to this school, _how_ do you know your way around here?" Elsa asked with an air of irritation, steel blue eyes drilling holes into his back. She ran the back of her hand over her bangs to swipe them to the side, her heart galloping and beating mad against her ribcage. The brown paper bag crumpled under her touch, her fingers coiling and uncoiling around it nervously.

She wasn't prepared for this surprise attack. This was not part of the plan. No, she didn't plan this _at all. _

Olaf let out a chuckle but continued walking without turning around to answer his best friend's inquiry. His brows narrowed with his hands planted on each side of his hips as he scanned the cafeteria for an empty table.

"I went here earlier to get coffee before I came to your classroom," he said with a shrug, his eyes lighting up when he saw a group of students standing up from their seats to leave. "Okay, there's a table over there! Come follow me," he commanded while he instinctively grabbed Elsa's arm to pull her forward. Anna watched the whole exchange in confusion. She wasn't sure what Olaf and Elsa were to each other, and her stare fell on Olaf's hand wrapped around Elsa's arm.

There it was again, the intruding feeling of jealousy rearing its head to taunt her.

_It's really none of my business if he's her boyfriend or whatever. _

Anna snapped out of her musings when Olaf's voice called out her name. She perked her head up and took notice of Olaf waving at her to come and sit with him. Elsa was standing next to him, her arms wrapped around her torso and an apologetic expression drawn all over her face. Anna met her eyes, and Elsa mouthed _I'm sorry _before lowering herself to the chair beside Olaf. The awkwardness between them was palpable, and Anna could tell that Elsa wanted nothing more but to rise from her seat and dart out.

_It couldn't be that bad…I don't think she dislikes me that much to just get up and go…_

Anna tried for a small smile, her pulse quickening as the blood within her veins galloped at the sight of Elsa's blue eyes pleading with her. She took in a breath and nodded her reply before assuming the seat that faced Elsa and her strange friend.

The noise of students streaming in filled the cafeteria; their indistinct chatter and the padding of their footsteps joined the commotion that was taking place in Elsa's mind. Chairs were pulled away from tables, books were dropped on top of them, and it seemed like the whole student body had the same lunch break as she did.

Though she was thankful for the distraction and watched fretfully as Olaf watched his surroundings in amusement, Elsa knew that it was fleeting and dreaded what was to come next.

Her stare landed on Anna, and she watched the redhead squirm in her seat with her head dipped low like she was studying the structure of the tiled floor beneath her feet. Elsa swallowed thickly and she found herself gripping the edge of her skirt. She took in a shaky breath, releasing it in a controlled manner just in time for Olaf to divert his attention back to her and an equally uncomfortable Anna.

"So Anna, it's nice to finally meet you," Olaf started, his hands clasped over the table like he was interviewing a possible employee. The glint of fascination in his eyes returned, his grin widening into a toothy smile. "I didn't mean to ambush you like that, but knowing Elsa, I know she would take ten years to finally invite you out."

Elsa's eyes widened, mirroring Anna's own, and she felt the rush of furious heat crawling up from her chest up to her cheeks. Blood roared and swirled in her ears, and they, too, were tinted in red. She wanted to get up and leave. Better yet, she wanted the ground to swallow her hole and never to be heard from again.

But of course, none of those were possible—with Olaf's frame blocking the nearby exit door and Anna's ridiculously flushed face—Elsa stood rigid and resorted to burying her face into her hands instead, her elbows planted firmly on the table.

Anna was speechless. Her eyebrows shot up beneath her fringes, and she bit her lower lip while watching Olaf pat Elsa's shoulder. "There, there," Olaf said consolingly, "it's okay, Elsa. I'm sure Anna's really stoked to have lunch with us. Aren't you, Anna?" he asked, continuing to tear Elsa away from her embarrassment.

Anna nodded immediately like an attentive pupil. She would've answered and expressed her agreement vocally, but her throat had turned dry, her mind still registering what Olaf had just blurted out. Though she wouldn't admit it, she found it amusing to see Elsa squirming and writhing uncomfortably while trying to hide her face.

No, she didn't enjoy Elsa's discomfort. But with all her elegance and calm disposition stripped away, Anna found her all the more endearing. The usually stoic and reserved blonde was reduced to a flustered young woman, and in spite of herself, Anna thought she was even more attractive and lovely right there and right then.

Elsa groaned quietly, a muffled string of profanities directed to Olaf escaped her lips. Though inaudible and hard to discern, Olaf perched his ear next to her covered face and smirked. "Hey Elsa, you can stop cursing me out now. Take your hands off your face and talk to us."

Elsa held back a wince. Slowly, she lifted her head and pulled her hands from her crimson face. She turned her head to face Olaf, her cold blue eyes staring him down without faltering. If it weren't for the blush on her face, Olaf would've found her intimidating. He smiled tentatively and clapped his hands once in an attempt to tug Elsa away from her brewing anger, forcing her to turn her attention to Anna.

The redhead was fiddling with her paper bag and a shy smile lifted the corners of her lips. Her eyes were half-lidded and resting on the bag. She inhaled, and the pangs of hunger pricked her stomach when a whiff of bacon reached her nostrils. Her grip tightened around the edges of the bag.

"You know, Olaf, I'm really _grateful_ that you showed up," the tone of her voice was soft and hesitant, and her brows furrowed pensively. "I was in the middle of asking Elsa to join me and my friends for lunch, but I think she was going to decline," she let out a wry chuckle before raising her head to face both of them. "But you're here. And Elsa's here. And…that makes me happy." The last word was faint and sincere that Elsa's ears perked up, the towering wall of anxiety looming over slowly crumbled down.

_She's…she's happy to be here? With me? _

Elsa tucked a loose strand of hair beneath a flushed ear. She shifted when she felt Olaf's elbow nudging her side, avoiding the satisfied expression etched on his features. She thought she was out of the woods, free from the confines of the dread pooling in her stomach—but she was not. Her heart drummed against her chest, and she was thrown back to her haze of anxiety when she caught a trace of sadness mar Anna's face. It was subtle and almost went unnoticed, but Elsa was able to detect it as she felt the residues of adrenaline pump against her veins, making her hyperaware of every little movement within her range.

A twinge of guilt pinched her insides when she realized that she might have_ hurt _Anna with her disrupted yet planned refusal of Anna's invitation. It's not that she didn't want to go, she just didn't want to be a burden and assumed that Anna was only asking her out of obligation since they now shared the same friends. Before she could get lost in her cloud of pessimistic thoughts, she was wrenched away from her musings when a gentle hand perched itself on top of her tightly clasped fist.

"Hey," Anna said in an almost whisper, ducking her head lower to meet Elsa eye level, her breakfast bag pushed to the side when she extracted her arm. She wasn't sure where this jolt of courage came from, this sudden inclination to reach out and touch Elsa, but the worried look on the blonde's face urged her on. She felt Elsa tense against her touch and for a brief moment, she was tempted to pull away—but pulling away would do nothing now but ignite more awkwardness…so she didn't.

"I'm happy that you're here…I know you're busy, but it means a lot that you're here. Right now. " Anna took in a breath, released it, and mustered a shaky smile when Elsa's gaze met hers.

A series of expressions flashed across Elsa's face. Her lips parted for a moment and closed as if she couldn't find the words to say. Bright, teal eyes that were filled with kindness and warmth locked themselves on her widened blues, causing her mind to go completely blank. The vicious waves of apprehension lapping and raging within her faltered and quieted down, but they were still there, ever present and stubborn.

She found it increasingly hard to hold her stare as the map of freckles across Anna's nose kept pulling her attention, her eyes flicking between teal eyes and dotted skin. Her free hand grabbed the leg of the table, and she locked her jaw, casting her gaze on Anna's hand touching the thin fabric of her long sleeve. She could've sworn Anna and Olaf could hear the deafening ramming taking place on the left side of her chest, but the two were far from frantic like she was.

Elsa tried for words. "I-I'm happy that you're here, too," she squeaked, a tentative, lop-sided grin hanging on her lips. She straightened her back, prompting Anna to pull her hand. Elsa absent-mindedly brushed her palm to the spot Anna touched, pale fingers wrapping themselves around her arm like they were trying to contain the warmth Anna's hand had exuded.

"I'm sorry about today and for making you feel bad," Elsa apologized in a weak voice, the nagging feeling of guilt returning. "But…I do want to have lunch with you. And Marlin and Dory," she added to trump any romantic connotation her confession may hold if she had settled to just saying _with you_. Though her admission was truthful, the entirety of her what she really wanted to say was pushed farther to the back of her mind, forced into concealment and isolation.

_Yes, I want to have lunch with you—just you—but I can't do that because I think I'm starting to really like you and I can't let that happen. _

The hunger that lingered in Anna's stomach dwindled away when Elsa's shy apology and the clear, gentle_, I'm happy that you're here too_ reached her ears. Anna was sure her soul leapt out from her body, reached the moon, and came back just in time to catch Elsa let out a self-conscious, crooked grin. Olaf's presence no longer had an empowering effect on her, and Anna's shoulders slouched into a more comfortable position as she settled into her seat, the nerve-wracking sensation that was pulling her insides slowly diminishing.

Olaf cleared his throat and raised a brow in feigned nonchalance, but the excitement oozing from his bright eyes could not be contained. He couldn't hide his delight when he caught Elsa and Anna exchanging tight-lipped smiles, both their faces pink with a hint of giddiness masked underneath all the layers of awkwardness.

"Alright then. Now that we've all agreed to have lunch, let's go…eat lunch."

They ate their meals in silence. Olaf pretended to busy himself with his phone, covertly glancing at the redhead in front of him who would occasionally flick her eyes at Elsa in between bites. He furtively craned his neck a little bit to the side and caught Elsa doing just the same—bright blue eyes studying and observing Anna when she was sure she wasn't looking.

Olaf rolled his eyes and sighed in relief. _This is easier than I thought. _


	12. Somewhere In That Zone

**A/N:** I had this lingering in my files and I never got around to really editing it. I'm actually still in the process of continuing this chapter, but I think it's better that I continue the story on the _next_ one. It took forever to update, but NOPE, I didn't abandon this story. I like it, so I will continue writing it. :)

* * *

_Just like a moth drawn to a flame_  
_Oh, you lured me in, I couldn't sense the pain_  
_Your bitter heart cold to the touch_  
_Now I'm gonna reap what I sow_  
_I'm left seeing red on my own_

**Now Playing : Shawn Mendes / Stitches**

* * *

Kristoff couldn't stop shaking his leg. It was an annoying tic that he was often unaware of, but this time, he could feel the uneasiness pulsing under his skin. He was aware of his vigorous movements, but this was all he could do to stop himself from leaving the room. He really needed to cut it out. Anna was yapping about her lunch with Elsa and some guy named Olaf, her hands flying in all directions, her eyes distractingly bright and green.

Lately, it was all she ever talked about. Kristoff could see why Anna was infatuated by this girl. Elsa Arendelle was perfect in every way. Tall, blonde, smart and painfully gorgeous, he knew the moment Anna laid eyes on her that she was doomed from the very start. There was nothing he could've done to prevent them from meeting, let alone convince Anna to stop being infatuated by her.

So why did it still...hurt? He expected this. He knew the ending of this story before the chapter even began.

Kristoff remained while _boy_friends came and left. He was a permanent figure in Anna's life, lasting and steadfast while her love interests stayed only for a moment. He didn't know why out of all the people Anna expressed interest in, a _girl_ was the one that made him feel threatened the most. He knew this day would come. It had been two years since Anna came out as a woman solely interested in dating other women. It was a hard concept to swallow. But Kristoff promised Anna that he would support her in all her decisions even if it meant ruining his chances of being with her. Yet the pain that came along with it was something he hid under the cracks, unnoticed and unacknowledged. Ignored and avoided as it festered and rotted under his flesh.

He felt foolish for holding on to something that was never there to begin with.

_How do you get over someone you were never with in the first place? _Someone who innocently —yet blatantly in the most honest and gentlest way possible—shoved it in your face that you were, are, and always will be friends and nothing more.

_How do you let go of someone who was never yours in the way that you wanted them to be?_

While mentally scolding himself for feeling the way he did, Kristoff, for a brief moment, had totally forgotten that his best friend was still talking over him. Oh, the mocking irony of it all. _His _best friend. Out of all people in this goddamn planet, he just had to fall for someone unavailable and unwilling to be with him.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?"

Kristoff didn't realize that he had been staring at the boring flower painting hanging on the wall opposite of where he was sat, his eyes bleary and begging for rest.

Anna gawked at her best friend with a look of irritation as she pouted. "Kristoff, you're dozing off again," she commented, pointing at Kristoff's slump figure.

Kristoff met Anna's eyes as all attempts of shutting down eluded him again. It was the little things that got under his skin––and in the deepest layers of every conscious and unconscious thoughts he ever had of her. Why did her eyes have to be so wide and kind and green and blue and deep and translucent? Why did the freckles in her nose that were scattered about look like constellations he could spend forever tracing with the tips of his fingers if she would only let him? Why did her smile and those playful pouts leave him at a loss of words each and every time?

What was it about her that made him lose his sense of time and common sense?

Oh, just about _everything. _

Kristoff was jolted back to reality when he saw the slight blush on Anna's face as she looked away, self-consciously tucking her hair behind her ear. He was staring at her far too long. _Subtle, Bjorgman. Right while she's directly in front of you, too. _

_She's your best friend. Knock it off._

It was a struggle to formulate words especially when his mind was consumed by ones he would never dare to speak out loud.

_I love you. Choose me instead. Please don't fall in love with her. _

"I...uhh...just a bit tired today," Kristoff lied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to bite back a wince. It was foolish of him to think for that second that Anna believed his pathetic attempt of an excuse, but he was fortunate enough that she let it slide this time. Anna stared at him askance but said nothing when she saw how uncomfortable he looked.

When Anna didn't say anything, Kristoff tried for a small smile. "You know how it is," he said, feigning a sigh, "Working student. School and work. I get pretty exhausted and blank, I think," he hesitated, raising Anna's brow and confusion. Shrugging his broad shoulders, Kristoff forced himself to look away. He had been doing that a lot lately. Too much eye contact could be revealing. He had lies and secrets that those brown eyes could not conceal no matter how much he tried so he let them consume him instead. Not a single word will ever be spoken even in the silent act of just looking. Not a single truth should ever be revealed.  
_  
_But love meant facing your fears head-on even if it meant crashing and colliding. Without seeing the look of concern and slight hurt in Anna's face, Kristoff still knew what his spurious apathy was doing. He was hurting his best friend. Shifting his head just enough to catch a glance of his peripheral view, the first thing he saw from the corner of his eye was Anna standing, her hands folded in front of her. Years of friendship and familiarity confirmed one thing: Anna was growing anxious. The unconscious movement of her hands folding in front of her, the slight bow of her head were things Kristoff knew as mannerisms of awkwardness tinged with growing anxiety and _sadness_.

_Ah. Fuck it. Friendzone. I'm in the friendzone. We're friends. That should be enough._

Kristof lifted himself off his seat and made his way to his best friend. Spreading his arms wide, he swallowed hard and enveloped Anna's small frame in an embrace. The desire to kiss the side of her head was proving to be great, so he rested his chin atop her shoulder. Without saying a word, Anna wrapped her arms around his waist instinctively, lifting her toes so she can somehow reach Kristoff's height.

Anna gently rubbed her hand against Kristof's back in circles. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, releasing herself from their embrace, her free hand resting on his chest. "What's wrong?"

_A lot. _Kristoff forced a smile and shoved his hands in his pockets. He ran a hand over his hair and took in a quick breath to quell that nerves that had started to buzz. Suddenly, it felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, slowly crushing him to the ground without pausing even for a slight second. He couldn't recall how many times he lied to Anna whenever she asked the very same question. No, he was not okay. No, he hasn't been okay in months. Years. No, he never did move on and he didn't know how to. Leaving Anna wasn't an option although he had been tempted so many times to do just that to spare his heart from shattering over and over again. Dating other girls didn't help much because they weren't Anna.

She was all he wanted and he didn't know what else to do. Maybe if he told her now, they could somehow try to find a solution and fix it. But fix _what? _Nothing was ever broken in the first place, and confessing this love for her out of left field would totally call for something shocking. Would she be upset? Mad? Enraged? Surely, _thrilled _wouldn't be an emotion Kristoff expected coming from a _gay_ girl who also happened to be_ his best friend._

He knew confessing his feelings for her would destroy everything, but keeping it inside—which he had been doing for so long—was taking its toll in completely killing him. Anna valued honesty, so maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be so catastrophic. He wasn't expecting her to reciprocate, he just wanted to…be free.

_But before that, another lie. _"I'm fine," Kristoff said, shaking his head as if the action could help dissipate the brooding thoughts looming over him. "What was it that you needed to tell me? Surely, you didn't buy me coffee just for the sake of it," he teased, gesturing for Anna to sit back down on her seat before assuming his post back on his. "Come on, tell me," he pressed her gently while slowly building up the courage to tell her everything that was really on his mind.

Anna bit her lower lip, the red blush on her cheeks returning. "First, I need you to tell me that you're proud of me and that you love me."

Kristoff spoke quickly without questioning and without a second thought. "I'm proud of you and I love you," he replied softly with conviction hanging over the last three words.

When Anna saw the sincerity in his face, her lips parted into a huge grin. "I think I'm gonna ask Elsa Arendelle out on a date."

And there it was, the car crash, head-on, inevitable collision he had been dreading.

With the wind knocked out of his lungs, it took seconds for Anna's words to register on his brain. Kristoff felt like he just swallowed a tank of acid, and everything sizzled and burned within him. it was the kind of pain that was unheard of, an implosion with no other casualties but him. He felt his fists clench under the table and the need to walk out and leave left him breathless all the more.

But Anna was waiting for his reply. His approval. His support.

_Fuck, why do I love you so much?_

Forcing his pulse to slow its pace, and his heart to to stop obliterating itself and what was left of it, Kristoff chuckled dryly as he willed his lips to form a smile. "I'm…I'm happy for you, Anna. Go for it." He almost high-fived himself for muttering coherent words that didn't crack or show any signs of wreckage. Hell, he wanted to give himself a goddamn trophy.

When Anna beamed and squealed in delight, Kristoff repeated his words once more, ignoring the waves of acid washing over him again. He could deal with that later by drowning himself even more with something pleasurable like vodka.

"I'm happy for you, Anna."


End file.
